Eisenbahn

German

Etymology

Eisen (“iron”) +‎ Bahn (“transport, lane”), originally for the iron rails of trains used in mining.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaɪ̯zənˌbaːn/, [ˈaɪ̯zənˌbaːn], [ˈaɪ̯zn̩ˌbaːn]

• Audio (Germany):

  (file)

• Audio (Austria):

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• Hyphenation: Ei‧sen‧bahn

Noun

Eisenbahn f (genitive Eisenbahn, plural Eisenbahnen)

1. railway, railroad (transporting system)

   Synonym: Schienenverkehr

   Die Eisenbahn war die erste Verkehrsrevolution.

   The railway was the first revolution of traffic.

2. (somewhat informal) train

   Synonym: Zug

   Da hinten kommt eine Eisenbahn!

   There’s a train approaching over there!

Descendants

• → Italian: ferrovia (calque)

Further reading

• “Eisenbahn” in Duden online
• “Eisenbahn” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache