Stadt

German

Etymology

From Middle High German stat, from Old High German stat, from Proto-Germanic *stadiz, from Proto-Indo-European *stéh₂tis. Related to English stead, Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌸𐍃 (staþs, “place”), Danish and Swedish stad, Dutch stad, Yiddish שטאָט (shtot). Originally the same word as Statt and Stätte. Cognate with English stead.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃtat/

• Audio:

  (file)

  IPA^(key): /diː‿ʃtat/
• Homophone: statt
• Rhymes: -at

Noun

Stadt f (genitive Stadt, plural Städte, diminutive Städtchen n or Städtlein n)

1. city (large settlement)
   • 1931, Gebhard Mehring, Schrift und Schrifttum, Silberburg-Verlag, page 13:

     Der Zerfall des Römerreiches raubte der Stadt Rom die alte Stellung als Mittelpunkt alles Geschehens.

     The decay of the Roman empire robbed the city of Rome of the old position as the center of all that was happening.

2. town (settlement larger than a village)
3. (metonymically) city center (central business area of a city)
4. (metonymically) city, town, town council, city council (governing body of people elected to oversee management of a municipality)

Usage notes

• For some speakers, the plural has an irregular lengthening of the stem vowel. See Städte.

Derived terms

• stadtartig
• Städter
• städtisch

 

Related terms

• Außenstadt
• Darmstadt
• Grenzstadt
• Großstadt
• Hafenstadt
• Hansestadt
• Hauptstadt
• Innenstadt
• Kleinstadt
• Oberstadt
• Schlafstadt
• stadtauswärts
• stadtbekannt
• Stadtbewohner
• Stadtbummel
• Stadtgebiet
• Stadtkreis
• Stadtleben
• Stadtluft
• Stadtmensch
• Stadtmitte
• Stadtpark
• Stadtplanung
• Stadtrand
• Stadtrat
• Stadtschule
• Stadtwappen
• Stadtzentrum
• Trabantenstadt
• Unterstadt

 

Descendants

• Hunsrik: xtat

Further reading

• “Stadt” in Duden online