Sau

See also: Appendix:Variations of "sau"

Bavarian

Etymology

From Middle High German sū, from Old High German sū, from Proto-West Germanic *sū. Cognate with German Sau.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɑɔ̯/

Noun

Sau f (plural Sai)

1. pig, sow
2. (card games) ace

Central Franconian

Alternative forms

• Sou (spelling variant, chiefly used for Moselle Franconian dialects)

Etymology

From Middle High German sū, from Old High German sū, from Proto-West Germanic *sū.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zou̯/

Noun

Sau f (plural Säu or Sei, diminutive Säuche or Seiche)

1. (Ripuarian, western Moselle Franconian) sow; female pig
2. (eastern Moselle Franconian) pig (male or female)

Usage notes

• The inflected forms with -äu- are Ripuarian, those with -ei- are Moselle Franconian.

Synonyms

• (any pig): Ferke; Schwein

German

Etymology

From Middle High German sū, from Old High German sū, from Proto-West Germanic *sū.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zaʊ̯/, [zaʊ̯] (Germany)

  • Audio:

    (file)

    (Germany)

• IPA^(key): /saʊ̯/, [saɔ̯] (Austria, Southern Germany, Switzerland)
• Rhymes: -aʊ̯

Noun

Sau f (genitive Sau, plural Säue or Sauen)

1. (archaic or dialectal) pig (male or female)
2. sow, female pig
3. (figurative) a dislikable or unethical person

Usage notes

• Both plurals are roughly equally common in the concrete sense “female pig”, though Sauen is usually preferred in farmers’ and hunters’ parlance. In the figurative sense, only Säue is used.

Declension

Declension of Sau [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Sau	die	Säue, Sauen
genitive	einer	der	Sau	der	Säue, Sauen
dative	einer	der	Sau	den	Säuen, Sauen
accusative	eine	die	Sau	die	Säue, Sauen

Hypernyms

• Schwein

Derived terms

• Saustall
• Sauwetter
• unter aller Sau
• sau-

Further reading

• “Sau” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Hunsrik

Alternative forms

• sau (Wiesemann spelling)

Etymology

From Central Franconian Sau, from Middle High German sū, from Old High German sū, from Proto-West Germanic *sū, from Proto-Germanic *sūz, from Proto-Indo-European *suH-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsaʊ̯/
• Rhymes: -aʊ̯
• Syllabification: Sau

Noun

Sau f (plural Sei)

1. sow (female pig)

   Die Sau hod nein Witzje. ― The sow has nine piglets.

   • 2022 November, Naye Testamënt Tswaayxproochich [Bilingual New Testament], Barueri: Sociedade Bíblica do Brasil, →ISBN, 1Pheeter 2:22:

     Was mit tëne layt paseyert is pewayst tas tii xpriche woer sin: “Te hunt keet tsurik an sayne aychne khots” un “Ti kewex sau keet noch mool in te pratx wënsle.”

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

References

• Piter Kehoma Boll (2021) “Sau”, in Dicionário Hunsriqueano Riograndense–Português (in Portuguese), 3rd edition, Ivoti: Riograndenser Hunsrickisch, page 138, column 1

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From Middle High German sū, from Old High German sū, from Proto-West Germanic *sū. Cognate with German Sau, English sow, Icelandic sýr, Swedish so.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zæːʊ̯/

Noun

Sau f (plural Sai)

1. sow (female pig)

Pennsylvania German

Etymology

From Middle High German sū, from Old High German sū, from Proto-West Germanic *sū. Compare German Sau, Dutch zeug, English sow.

Noun

Sau f (plural Sei)

1. sow (female pig)
2. filthy person

Derived terms

• Grundsau