Geschlecht

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

German

[edit]

Alternative forms

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

From Middle High German geslechte, from Old High German gislahti, a collective formation from slahta, from Proto-Germanic *slahtō, related to *slahaną (to strike, hit).

Cognate with Dutch geslacht, Middle Low German geslechte, Italian schiatta, Polish szlachta. The Germanic root is that of Schlag, schlagen (strike, beat). The modern sense developed among this root's descendants first in Menschenschlag (group of people characterised by common traits), in which the underlying meaning of Schlag is "strike of coinage".

Pronunciation

[edit]
  • IPA(key): /ɡəˈʃlɛçt/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛçt

Noun

[edit]

Geschlecht n (strong, genitive Geschlechts or Geschlechtes, plural Geschlechter or (obsolete) Geschlechte)

  1. sex
  2. (grammar) gender
    • 1835, Theodor Heinsius, Sprachlehre der Deutschen, Berlin, page 85:
      Die Deutsche Sprache ordnet, wie jede andere, ihre Substantive nach gewissen Geschlechtern, deren wir drei haben: 1) das männliche (masculinum), 2) das weibliche (femininum), 3) das sächliche (neutrum). Kommen die beiden ersten Geschlechter einem Worte zugleich zu, so sagt man: sein Geschlecht ist ein Doppelgeschlecht oder ein gemeinschaftliches (commune); kommen ihm alle drei zu, so ist es generis omnis, oder ein Allgeschlecht.
      Like every other language, German orders its nouns into certain genders, of which we have three: 1) the masculine (masculinum), 2) the feminine (femininum), 3) the neuter (neutrum). Where both of the first two genders apply equally to a word, its gender is called a double-gender or a common (commune); where all three apply, it is called generis omnis, or an all-gender.
  3. sex organ
  4. genus, type, race
  5. lineage, generation, family
  6. dynasty, house

Declension

[edit]

Synonyms

[edit]

Hyponyms

[edit]

Derived terms

[edit]
[edit]

Further reading

[edit]