Schlacke

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃlakə/

Etymology 1

From Middle Low German slagge (“slag”, older “splinter of hammered iron”, 14th c.), from slān (“to hit, strike”), the cognate of German schlagen. Compare Dutch slak, English slag, both also from Middle Low German.

Noun

Schlacke f (genitive Schlacke, plural Schlacken)

1. slag, dross, scoria
2. cinders, clinker
3. sediment, dregs, scum
4. (physiology) metabolic residue in body tissue or digestive system
5. (dialect) rectum

Descendants

• → Russian: шлак (šlak)
• → Serbo-Croatian: šljȁka, шља̏ка
• → Yiddish: שלאַק (shlak)
• → English: schlock

Etymology 2

Alteration of Schalke based on etymology 1 above, suggested by the club’s origins in, and continued association with, coal mining.

Proper noun

Schlacke n (proper noun, strong, genitive Schlackes)

1. (humorous, often derogatory) FC Schalke 04 (football club of Gelsenkirchen, Ruhrgebiet)

Further reading

• “Schlacke” in Duden online