Mitarbeiter

German

Etymology

mit- +‎ Arbeiter

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɪtarˌbaɪ̯tər/, [ˈmɪ.taʁˌbaɪ̯.tɐ], [-taɐ̯-], [-tɐ-] (usual)
• IPA^(key): /ˈmɪtˌarbaɪ̯tər/, [ˈmɪtˌʔaʁ.baɪ̯.tɐ] (very formal or regional)

  • Audio:

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Noun

Mitarbeiter m (genitive Mitarbeiters, plural Mitarbeiter, feminine Mitarbeiterin)

1. employee; person who works, with others, in a particular business
2. assistant; person who assists another person in a business

Usage notes

Mitarbeiter is a semantic false friend of English coworker: although it is made up of elements that mean "co-" and "worker", Mitarbeiter means "employee", not quite "coworker" (which in German is Kollege).

Synonyms

• Angestellter
• Arbeitnehmer
• Firmenangehöriger

Derived terms

• Mitarbeiterführung
• Mitarbeitermotivation
• Mitarbeiterversammlung

Further reading

• “Mitarbeiter” in Duden online