Beil

See also: béil

East Central German

Etymology

Compare German Beule.

Noun

Beil f

1. (Erzgebirgisch) any large, roundish swelling on the body, e.g. a bump on the forehead or a bubo
2. (Erzgebirgisch) bump, dent (deformation on a surface, be it outward or inward)

Further reading

• Hendrik Heidler (11 June 2020), Hendrik Heidler's 400 Seiten: Echtes Erzgebirgisch: Wuu de Hasen Hoosn haaßn un de Hosen Huusn do sei mir drhamm: Das Original Wörterbuch: Ratgeber und Fundgrube der erzgebirgischen Mund- und Lebensart: Erzgebirgisch – Deutsch / Deutsch – Erzgebirgisch‎^[2] (in German), 3. geänderte Auflage edition, Norderstedt: BoD – Books on Demand, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 22

German

Etymology

From Middle High German bīl, bīhel, from Old High German bīhal (whence also Bavarian Beichl), attested (in the form witubil) since the 8th century, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bīþlą (“axe”), instrumental noun from *bītaną (“to bite”). Compare Dutch bijl.

Conflated early on with Proto-Germanic *bilją and its descendants (German Bille). (Kluge mentioned that, in his day, a relationship to Bicke / Middle High German bicke (“pickaxe”) — compare Old English becca (“pickaxe”) — could not be ruled out.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baɪ̯l/

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪ̯l

Noun

Beil n (strong, genitive Beiles or Beils, plural Beile, diminutive Beilchen n)

1. axe, hatchet

Declension

Declension of Beil [neuter, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	Beil	die	Beile
genitive	eines	des	Beiles, Beils	der	Beile
dative	einem	dem	Beil, Beile1	den	Beilen
accusative	ein	das	Beil	die	Beile

¹Now rare, see notes.

Derived terms

• Blattbeil
• Fallbeil
• Handbeil
• Kriegsbeil
• Stangenbeil

Further reading

• “Beil” in Duden online
• “Beil”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[3] (in German)
• “Beil” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.

Hunsrik

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpaɪ̯l/
• Rhymes: -aɪ̯l
• Syllabification: Beil

Noun

Beil n (plural Beiler, diminutive Beilche)

1. hatchet, axe

Further reading

• Boll, Piter Kehoma (2021), “Beil”, in Dicionário Hunsriqueano Riograndense–Português, 3rd edition (overall work in Portuguese), Ivoti: Riograndenser Hunsrickisch

Pennsylvania German

Etymology

From Middle High German bīl, bīhel, from Old High German bīhal, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bíþla- (“axe”), instrumental noun from *bītaną (“to bite”). Compare German Beil, Dutch bijl.

Noun

Beil n (plural Beile)

1. hatchet