Notdurft

German

Etymology

From Middle High German notdurft, from Old High German notthurft. The first element is Not (“need”), while the second is obsolete Durft, which ultimately derives from Proto-Germanic *þurftiz. Also compare dürftig (“sparse, meager”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnoːtˌdʊʁft/
• Hyphenation: Not‧durft

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Notdurft f (genitive Notdurft, no plural)

1. (dated) necessity
2. (euphemistic) call of nature

   seine Notdurft verrichten ― to relieve oneself

Declension

Declension of Notdurft [sg-only, feminine]

	singular
	indef.	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Notdurft
genitive	einer	der	Notdurft
dative	einer	der	Notdurft
accusative	eine	die	Notdurft

Further reading

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