Blitz

See also: blitz

English

Etymology

Shortened from German Blitzkrieg (“blitzkrieg”, literally “lightning war”). The Blitz was in truth not a blitzkrieg, which is a rapid ground offensive based on superior tank forces. However, the word was current at the time for the successful German campaigns in Poland and France, and was transferred to the attacks on Britain, perhaps by association of Blitz (“lightning”) with the bombings.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /blɪts/
• Rhymes: -ɪts

Proper noun

the Blitz

1. (historical) The series of air raids launched on various cities in Great Britain by the German air force in 1940–41 during World War II.

   Synonym: Baedeker raids

Further reading

• The Blitz on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Biltz

German

Etymology

From Middle High German blitze (“lightning”), from Old High German blëcchazzen, from Proto-West Germanic *blaik, whence English bleak and bleach.

Cognates:

See also Old Saxon bliksmo (“lightning”), Old English blæcern (“candlestick”), Dutch bliksem, Ancient Greek φλέγω (phlégō, “to burn, blaze”), Sanskrit भ्राज (bhrāja, “to radiate, sparkle”), Latin fulgur (“lightning”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /blɪts/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

Blitz m (strong, genitive Blitzes, plural Blitze)

1. (meteorology) a bolt of lightning

   Ein Blitz erhellte die Nacht.

   A bolt of lightning lit the night.

2. (photography) flash

Declension

Declension of Blitz [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Blitz	die	Blitze
genitive	eines	des	Blitzes	der	Blitze
dative	einem	dem	Blitz, Blitze1	den	Blitzen
accusative	einen	den	Blitz	die	Blitze

¹Now rare, see notes.

Derived terms

• blitzartig
• blitzen
• Geblitze f

Related terms

• Blitzableiter
• Blitzaktion
• blitzeblank
• Blitzeinschlag
• Blitzeis
• Blitzkarriere
• Blitzkrieg
• Blitzlicht
• blitzsauber
• Blitzschach
• Blitzschlag
• Gedankenblitz
• Kugelblitz
• Lichtblitz

 

Further reading

• “Blitz” in Duden online
• “Blitz” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Blitz” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.
• Friedrich Kluge (1883) “Blitz”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891