Detektiv

See also: detektiv and detektív

German

Etymology

19th century, from English detective. The pronunciation with a second [d] may be due to simple assimilation, but it is also conceivable that the detek-sequence was popularly associated with entdecken (“to discover”). Note that the same pronunciation is also heard for Dutch detective in Belgium.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /de.tɛkˈtiːf/ (prescriptive standard)
IPA^(key): /de.dɛkˈtiːf/ (de-facto standard, strongly predominant in practice)
- Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -iːf

Noun

Detektiv m (strong, genitive Detektivs, plural Detektive, feminine Detektivin)

private investigator, private detective, sleuth (male or of unspecified gender)
Synonyms: Privatdetektiv, Privatermittler

Declension

Declension of Detektiv [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Detektiv	die	Detektive
genitive	eines	des	Detektivs	der	Detektive
dative	einem	dem	Detektiv	den	Detektiven
accusative	einen	den	Detektiv	die	Detektive

Derived terms

Detektivbüro

Related terms

Detektei