Walnuss

German

Alternative forms

• Walnuß (pre-1996)

Etymology

17th century, from Low German, from Middle Low German walnut, from Proto-West Germanic *walhahnut, from Proto-Germanic *walhaz (“foreign”) + *hnuts (“nut”). Cognate with Dutch walnoot, English walnut, and (from Middle Low German) Danish valnød etc. Equivalent to wal- (related with welsch) + Nuss; compare Middle High German welhisch nuz (alongside boumnuz). Possibly a calque of Latin nux gallica, but the name may merely describe the foreign origin as such; compare Finnish saksanpähkinä (literally “German nut”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvalˌnʊs/

• Audio

  (file)

• (southern Germany, Switzerland, Austria) IPA^(key): /ˈvaːlˌnʊs/

• Audio

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

Walnuss f (genitive Walnuss, plural Walnüsse)

1. walnut

   Synonyms: (southern) Welschnuss, (Switzerland) Baumnuss

2. walnut tree

   Synonyms: Nussbaum, Walnussbaum

Usage notes

• The spelling Walnuss has been the prescribed spelling since the German spelling reform of 1996 (the Rechtschreibreform). In Switzerland and Liechtenstein, it had already been standard since ⟨ß⟩ was deprecated in the 1930s.

Declension

Declension of Walnuss [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Walnuss	die	Walnüsse
genitive	einer	der	Walnuss	der	Walnüsse
dative	einer	der	Walnuss	den	Walnüssen
accusative	eine	die	Walnuss	die	Walnüsse

Derived terms

• Walnuss-Blatttütenfalter
• Walnuss-Fruchtfliege
• Walnuss-Gallmilbe
• Walnussbaum
• Walnussblatt
• Walnussbrot
• Walnussbutter
• Walnusseis
• Walnussernte
• walnussförmig
• Walnussfruchtfliege
• Walnussgallmilbe
• Walnussgewächs
• Walnusshälfte
• Walnussholz
• Walnusskern
• Walnussmilch
• Walnussöl
• Walnusspesto
• Walnusssaft
• Walnusssarg
• Walnussschaft
• Walnussschale
• Walnussschlankmotte
• Walnusszierlaus

 

Related terms

• welsch

Further reading

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