Wiktionary:Requested entries (German)
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Note
[edit]For idioms, it is worth visiting the following page: Liste deutscher Redewendungen.
Non-letter
[edit]- 420: the drug; read "vier-zwei-null" but also "vier-zwanzig"; is "four twenty" code switching or
{{ubor}}? - -icht as in felsicht, grasicht, neblicht, steinicht, waldicht + -igt as in buschigt, felsigt, grasigt, nebligt, steinigt, waldigt
- -ermaßen: adverb suffix, as in dermaßen, gleichermaßen, solchermaßen, zugegebenermaßen
A
[edit]- abäugeln ~
to target?ab + Auge + -eln or ab + äugeln (to ogle, win by ogling; Sportsman's expression: to search with the eye, to search the track with the eye) - Abbindung
- Absurd - an outdated noun for "absurdity". You can find hits for "ein Absurd" in Google Books (I found three, as needed by CFI).
- abzubiegen - listed at abbiegen
- Achtehalber*: a coin: "a term used in Prussia for one-twelfth of a Brandenburg Thaler"
- Ältermann — See w:de:Ältermann.
- Agrarprodukt - produce
- Albverein m as in http://albverein.net/, looks like it is Alp Association, as in the mountain range. --Pmsyyz (talk) 18:15, 6 September 2014 (UTC)
- Alpenvereinseinteilung f Divisions of the mountain club or mountaineering club
- Alpinstil m: see w:de:Alpinstil, also Kapselstil, a related style in climbing, though I do not know how. See Bergleben.de on styles
- Ambe f: Used in combinatorics - German wiktionary article here: wikt:de:Ambe
- Amtierung The making official of something
- anheim I think this word occurs only in inflections of verbs with the separable prefix anheim- (in which case it’s similar in nature to zurecht).
- Antel - a surname
- Antriebsstrang
- Arbeitsgang m or Arbeitsvorgang m – a single task/step within a workflow, cf. w:de:Arbeitsvorgang
- Arbeitsgenehmigung
- Artamanen
- Auer - a surname
- auf Grund laufen (“to run aground”)
- Aufriss
- Aufsegelung: Used mainly in historical Baltic German context to denote the moment when the Baltics were 'explored' by German merchants etc., 'sailing up' the rivers. You could say it conveyed a sense of determination on the part of those explorers and was surrounded by all kinds of (legendary) origin stories.
- Aufsichtsansatz
- Auftaktigkeit
- Auma – town and river in Thuringia
- Auserkorene f leo.org says it means girlfriend.
- Auslegeschrift: WP says "In outdated German patent law, the second reading, or publication, of a patent application."
- Ausserrhoden as in Appenzell Ausserrhoden
- Aussichtsraum as in der Aussichtsterrasse vorhanden
- austorfen appears to be a synonym for die out, past tense is used in the Wikipedia article for Naturschutzgebiet Nieklitzer Moor
- adjectivally used "ausgetorft" in de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturschutzgebiet_Nieklitzer_Moor should be related to Torf and is not related to Tod
B
[edit]- Badstube
- Bäer (= Bär, bear, ursus; mentioned by Schottel, the wordform itself regardless of meaning occurs in enough texts)
- Baggerfahrer excavator driver
- Bahnung = facilitation (in physiological sense)
- Ballhausplatz, Ballplatz: a square in central Vienna, seat of political power; see Wikipedia
- bämeln
- Barrakuda
- Bastelbude
- Baumbeobachter n (“tree observers”) - Soldiers within camouflage trees during WWI. -- Alexander Patmos (talk) 04:18, 10 May 2026 (UTC)
- Bedeutungsangabe (“explanation of the meaning of a linguistic expression”)
- Bedeutungsbeziehung (“relationship between the meanings of different linguistic expressions”)
- Bedeutungsfeld (“semantic field”)
- Bedeutungsgewinn (“valuation gain”)
- Bedeutungsverlust
- Beeinflussungsapparat n (“influencing machine”) - See: de:w:Beeinflussungsapparat. -- Alexander Patmos (talk) 06:03, 8 July 2026 (UTC)
- Begehung f = excursion (an East German word)
- Can't find this sense in any dictionary, but East German is often underrepresented. – Jberkel 11:56, 20 April 2020 (UTC)
- indicative imperfect begonnte, begunnte, conjunctive imperfect begönnte, past participle begonnt, begunnt - inflected forms of beginnen.
Also conj. imperf. begünnte? (This form is at least mentioned in [1] and by Adelung.)
Also longer forms like begonnete, begönnete, begunnete, begünnete? (Such forms can be found, though begönnete seems to be rare.)
Also begonnte, begunnte without umlaut in the conjunctive or begönnte, begünnte with umlaut in the indicative similar to weak verb inflection? (In some usages the distinction without umlaut for indicative and with umlaut for conjunctive seems doubtful, e.g. [2] & [3] (begönnete as indicative?), [4] (begönnte as indicative?).) - Begriffkunst: possibly conceptual art, or idea art?
- Beibehaltungsgenehmigung f
- Beisel
- Ber/Beer, Bergel, Betzel (= Eber, verres, porcus non castratus; mentioned by Schottel)
- Bergteer
- Berliner Brot n
- Bestäuber
- Bettel (cf. Hungarian betli)
- Bettgestell
- Bettrahmen
- Bewusstseinslage
- Bezirksverordnete
- BfDI = Bundesbeauftragter für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit
- Bierspiel n: a class of card games, or one specific game?
- Bildstock m: a type of wayside shrine
- Binnenschiffer m, Binnenschifferin f: boatman
- Bio-Market m: organic market, organic shop
- Bionade-Bourgeoisie f: found here; German hipsters more or less, named for a soft drink that supports organic farms.
- bissel
- bisserl
- Blasenspiere
- Bläser m - wind musician
- Blockälteste
- inflected form of Blockältester m or Blockälteste f
- Blockwerk - the main chest of pipes on a Medieval organ, operated together rather than with individual stops for each rank
- blodern
- Blutritt m: equestrian procession in honor of a relic containing the blood of Jesus Christ
- boldern
- Bootswagen: see w:de:Bootswagen
- Boxauto m: regional name for Autoscooter in Southwestern Germany
- Boxemännchen: regional name for Stutenkerl (in Luxembourg)
- Bremsung
- Brettljause / Jausenbrettl: Austrian meat and cheese board
- Briefadel: see Uradel
- Brotkapsel f lunch box
- Brotschrank m breadbox
- Brottorte f Cake made with bread
- Bruch n, pl. Brücher and Brüchen (which would mean that Appendix:German plurals is wrong)? Adelung
- Grimm lists the same passage, "das Wild in Busch und Brüchen" (which comes from this song), but notes the noun is neuter or masculine. "Brüchen" is then the dat. plural, with Brüche as nom. plural. Both of these plurals are already listed in the entry. Megathonic (talk) 00:51, 21 July 2023 (UTC)
- Brunsli n
- Budike - etymon of Czech putyka (“pub”)
- Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz n see also BAföG
- Bundesdatenschutzgesetz: federal data protection act; see Wikipedia
- Bürgerschutz m (“citizens' protection”)
- Bürgersprache f – language of (a) citizen (as opposed to Bauernsprache)
- Burschenschaft f fraternity, see Wikipedia (de/en)
- Büttenredner – this seems to be some sort of master of ceremonies for a carnival
- Buxdorn – old spelling of Buchsdorn, Bocksdorn, used as translation of πυξάκανθα (puxákantha, “lit., boxthorn, in Dioscorides”)
C
[edit]- Cabanossi, Kabanossi
- Calmierer: "Of particular concern seem to have been beggars who disguised themselves as pilgrims, termed Christianer und Calmierer (Christians and swindlers)..."
- CD-Brenner
- Chart - Means "chart" (noun), but I'm not sure in which senses. The plural (and perhaps only the plural) is used for music charts.
- Chausseemeile: old length unit; see de.wikipedia
- Cleverle n: Swabian German for 'smart person'.
- Corpsbruder, Korpsbruder
- Crosslauf, Cross, Querfeldeinlauf, Geländelauf = cross country (the running sport)
- Croupière
- Cytos (“cyton”) — see Citations:Cytos
- Cytula — see Ernst Haeckel in Jenaische Zeitschrift für Naturwissenschaft IX (1875): [5], [6]
D
[edit]- (dated) d-and-ero-terms &c. such as: bishero (~ bisher), dahero (~ daher), dannenhero, deroseits, deroselben (~ derselben), hinfüro, Ihro (~ Ihre), ietzo, numehro; also a category or list or something would be nice
- Damenklo
- damit ist kein Blumentopf zu gewinnen - please create an appropriate entry for this idiom: might be "nothing to write home about"
- Dampfpfeife
- dann brennt die Hütte
- das crazy
- das Gras wachsen hören = to hear the grass grow - e.g. "das ist unser Mann! der hört doch das Gras wachsen auf der Rennbahn!"
- Deeptalk
- Dehnstufe - term in Indo-European linguistics
- die Flucht nach vorne antreten (verb) Literally "to take flight to the front" - Possibly translatable as take the bull by the horns? It seems to convey the idea of dealing with an adverse situation by tackling it directly, rather than evading it (which may not be an available option). (See also attack is the best form of defence)
- Dienstvertrag
- DIN lang (the envelope size)
- Doppelschilling: old coin?
- Doppelschneuß: Circle divided like yin+yang as decoration in gothic arch
- drahtziehen wire drawing
- durchlangen
- Durchschnittsdeutsch
E
[edit]- Ebbelwoi: regional name for Apfelwein
- Edler
- ehevorletzter (-e, -es) (Adj.) - synonym for vorvorletzter, drittletzter
- Ehrenscheibe – related to (hyponym?) Zielscheibe; over 30,000 Google hits
- Eifeler Regel: a phonological process: see Eifeler Regel
- Eigenbistum n, some kind of diocese
- Einfuhrregeln f pl (“import rules”)
- Eingangsformel (w:de:Eingangsformel)
- Einkaufsgenossenschaft f
- Einstärkenbrille f (“single vision glasses”)
- Eisstock m – stone used in Eisstocksport
- Elwedritsch
- Emballage, Emballagerechnung: something with accounting, though Emballage per se is just packaging
- Empfangsbestätigung
- Endschemasi — See google books:"Endschemasi".
- Engelshaar — a type of Christmas-tree decoration
- Entgeistung -- or Entgeisterung, or both?
- Entwicklungsgeschichte f
- entwicklungsgeschichtlich
- erborgen - to borrow
- Erwachsenen-Punkte – Possible protologism. According to Swedish Wikipedia "Vuxenpoäng" it might be a calqued direct translation of vuxenpoäng (“grown-up point”)
- ette (or Ette?) - regional High German? Also Low German? Meaning: "that female person".
Ungood sources (often about the Ruhrgebiet): [7] "ette [...] sie"; [8] "ette ötte sie, er [...] In vielen Orten [...] ist mit ötte/ette eine Frau gemeint." (in the comments: "Öttche (f) und Ömmes (m)" and "Sie is "Ötte", er is "Ömmes""); [9]: "Ette, Kosebezeichnung für Frauen/Mädchen"; [10]: "ette er oder sie" (cp. [11]: "Ihmchen, Immchen Er oder Sie"); [12]: "Ette = mein Gegenüber, dieser Typ"; [13]: "Ette, ugs. für Sie, Gegenteil von Ihmchen" (cp. "Ihmchen, ugs. für Ihn, Gegenteil von Ette"); [14]: "[Steyrtalerisch:] Meinige, da / Meinige, de || [SHG:] Kosebezeichnung für Ehemann oder Freund / Kosebezeichnung [... - not visible, für Ehefrau oder Freundin?] || [Ruhrpottisch:] Immchen / Ette" - etwar
- Einstiegsgehalt - something like starting salary
- Essigäther
- Elefantenhaut meaning "thick skin" supposedly
F
[edit]- Factoring n (“factoring”)
- facultas docendi
- Fähigkeitskommando
- Fahnenappell
- Fallschwertmaschine
- Faustriemen
- Federschwert: type of sword? See Feder (fencing)
- Fehdewesen n, "feud"?
- Feldgeist ("field spirit" in German folklore): they may include Erbsenbär, Korndämon, Kornhund, Kornkatze, Kornkind, Kornkater, Korneber, Scheunesel, Roggensau, Kornstier, Märzenkalb, Kornkuh, Haferbock, Habergeiß, Weizenvogel, Getreidehahn, Erntehenne, Roggenmuhme, Hafermann, Haferkönig, Haferkönigin, Bilwis, Windsbraut
- Ferienglück
- Fiduz - etymon of Norwegian fidus according to the Norwegian Academy Dictionary
- Finanzierungslösung f (“financing solution”)
- finkeln
- Fitschen: see w:de:Fitschenband
- Flächenachse f: one of the symmetry axes of a cube
- Fleischkappe: baldhead, or bald cap?
- Fleischklops
- Fleischtheke
- fließendes Brot: slang term for beer ("liquid bread")
- More commonly flüssiges Brot – Jberkel 07:29, 12 June 2025 (UTC)
- Flickschuster
- Florenzer – a Florentine or a pederast
- Fondant
- forma mentis f: 2011, Ronald Benedikter, “Soziales Bank- und Finanzwesen”, in Sozialimpulse 2011-1: “Allerdings rühren auch diese Maßnahmen nicht an den Kern des Problems: An die bisherige Kultur, die “forma mentis” des Umgangs mit Kapital und die Grundmechanismen des internationalen Finanzsystems – also an das finanzpolitische Paradigma, das weitgehend unverändert weiterbesteht.”
- Frankenland n – Area in Southern Germany - Franconia; normally it's called simply Franken.
- Freischütz: see Freischütz: is this includable from mythology, or is it more like a story title?
- Freistunde f: free period at school
- Fresszettel m: Swiss German and regional in Baden-Württemberg for slip of scratch paper
- Freyer - German surname
- friedselig - peaceable, peaceful
- Fritz-Walter-Wetter n – heavy rain
- Frolleinwunder, found on Laut.de, on their article on Nena.
- More commonly as Fräuleinwunder – Jberkel 08:29, 20 October 2021 (UTC)
- Funsports – skateboarding, frisbee, etc. (Erlebnissports)
- fussig – suggested as possible cognate of English fuzz
- futschikato: see de.wikt [15]
- Fortbildungsprüfungszeugnis n
- Fühler ausstrecken / seine Fühler ausstrecken
- Fromhold - see Estonian Roomet
G
[edit]- Galgenfrist
- Gämmeli - see Old Armenian գոմ (gom)
- Gebauer m or n - Duden
- Gebelfer n - Duden
- Gebläcke n
- gebundenes Lexem n — See de:gebundenes Lexem.
- gebuttert
- Gecker - Grimm
- geflügelte Jahresendsfigur ("winged year-end figure"): satirical East German term for a Christmas angel, due to state disapproval of religion
- Geh. – an abbreviation used by the Deutsches Bundesarchiv (German Federal Archive) (example "Geh.Rat Schütte"), possibly short for Geheimnis. See also German wiktionary request | Geh.Rat = Geheimrat, also see w:Geheimrat
- gelb-kittenen – See [16], [17], [18], and [19].
- inflected form of gelb-kitten, also mentioned as gelbkitten - but all of the four results above seem to go back to w:en:Oskar Panizza (two results are a single usage, two results a single mentioning)
- gelber Onkel
- Geller ~ ricochet?
- Gemengerot
- Gepfül n - Grimm
- 'ger – contraction
- Gerümpelplastiken = sculptures made of junk?
- Gerinne
- Gesamtausgabe f: complete edition of a composer's works?
- Gesäuse n: a valley in the Alps? - Duden
- Geschäftsunfähigkeit = legal incapacity
- Gewährleistungskarte - "warranty card" apparently, saw it on a leaflet that came with a watch. User: The Ice Mage talk to meh 19:19, 4 May 2021 (UTC)
- Gewichtsgeldwirtschaft - Apparently means something like "weighed currency economy." It has a page on German Wikipedia. Graearms (talk) 13:46, 24 July 2025 (UTC)
- Gimmelwald - see Gimmelwald at Wikipedia
- Gewicht (“antlers”), a rare form
- Geziere n
- Geziertheit f
- Glamour
- Glaubensbewegung f
- Glück auf = a miner's greeting wishing one luck in the mines. A contraction of the phrase "Ich wünsche dir Glück, tu einen neuen Gang auf!"
- Gnadenfrist
- gnä' Frau - Seems to be a polite form of address for a woman. Presumably gnä’ = gnädige (in this context, at least - I don’t know if the contraction is used elsewhere).
- Goaßlschnalzen
- goklenisch – Probably derived from some mathematical/philosophical figure in the early ages, found in Gentzen 1933, Hertz 1929: #* 1929, Paul Hertz, Über Axiomensysteme für beliebige Satzsysteme, in: Mathematische Annalen 101: […] unter einem goklenischen [Beweis] einen Beweis, in dem alle nicht-tautologischen Untersätze oberste Sätze des Beweises sind. H. (talk) 15:38, 15 April 2009 (UTC)
- Most likely, either Rudolphus Goclenius, Filius (Rudolf Göckel der Jüngere), or Rudolphus Goclenius (Rudolf Göckel der Ältere)--91.61.112.200 18:21, 8 August 2014 (UTC)
- Goldbrücke Found here, sentence "Jene Personen, welche Goldzähne oder eine Goldbrücke hatten, wurden am Rücken mit einem Kreuz gezeichnet"
- Goldi: slang for the alcoholic drink Goldkrone?
- Goldzyaniddämpfen – form of Goldzyaniddämpfe m pl
- Göttergemeinschaft f = "society of gods" (in Thomas Davidson's apeirotheism)
- gotzig
- Grasdackel m: Swabian German for stupid person
- graue Theorie f – literal: grey theory; phrase or proverb: unproven theory. Link from Wikisource,Philosophical review.
- Not unproven, but "dull, boring theory" (as opposed to "colourful" life itself). From Goethe, Faust: "Grau, teurer Freund, ist alle Theorie,/ Und grün des Lebens goldner Baum." ("All theory, dear friend, is grey, / But the golden tree of life is green [sic!].", said by Mephistopheles)
- Grittibänz, Grättimaa: regional names for Stutenkerl (in Switzerland)
- Grobianus
- gromberen - etymon of Czech brambor
- großer Onkel = big toe?
- Großsegel
- Großtausend – number of 1200, or number of 1.000.000 (i.e. a million), or both depending on author/definition?
- Grundstamm - in Semitic linguistics, the basic (non-derived) form of a verb (often abbreviated to "G"), especially used when discussing Akkadian and Ge'ez verbs
- Gründerzeit
- Gründerjahre
- Gstanzl n - some kind of bawdy or satirical song, could also be citable in Alemannic but can certainly be attested as a German loan from Alemannic.
- It's rather a 'loan' from Bavarian than from Allemannic. Standard High German form: Gestanzel n.
- Goggelmoggel - etymon of Polish kogel-mogel
- Güllegrube
H
[edit]- hackeln
- häh = huh? (sound of confusion) maybe
- Hakenkreuzler: early proto-Nazi group? cf. Hakenkreuz
- Halbdackel m: Swabian German for stupid person
- handgemein - only in handgemein werden?
- inflected forms (handgemeine, handgemeinen etc.) do occur in other situations
- Handlungsanweisung
- Handschmeichler - a worry stone
- hastenichtgesehen: maybe slang for "very fast" (i.e. you didn't see me) ?
- Hausbesuch
- Hautschicht = ectoplasm (in botany)?
- Hax: dialectal short form of Haxe/Hachse? Longtrend (talk)
- Hefekerl: regional name for Stutenkerl (in North Alsace and Moselle)
- hei - mentioned in Swedish hej
- Heigl - a surname
- Heimatschein
- Heimwerken n (“DIY, home improvement”)
- Heino - a male given name, like the artist
- Held der Arbeit m
- Hellsicht "second sight", plentiful Google Books hits
- hellsicht Magic: the Gathering uses hellsicht to translate English "scry". Uses as verb are harder to find on GB.
- Hemdglunkerumzug
- Heptameride f (“heptamerede”)
- herauslangen
- Herdapfel m: regional name for Kartoffel in parts of Southern Germany
- hergebrachtermaszen: hergebrachtermaßen with old 'sz' spelling Longtrend (talk)
- Herrgottsbescheisserle / Herrgottsbescheißerle - Swabian for Maultasche; see Language Log[20]
- herumlangen
- herumschrauben
- herwärts
- Heterosid
- hey another greeting.
- Hiedler - where the name "Hitler" comes from?
- hinauflangen
- hinausjagen - chase out, drive out
- hinauslangen
- hineinlangen
- hinlangen
- Hochball: a sort of football game; see Englisch
- hochklettern
- hochlangen
- Hochstufe - term in Indo-European linguistics
- Hochzeitssuppe f: a chicken soup; see Hochzeitssuppe
- Hockete f: Swabian German for social gathering
- Hocketse f
- Hofdruckerei (“court printing-house”)
- Hoffjuden
- Hofkammersänger
- Hofmark – w:de:Hofmark.
- Hohlstunde f: free period at school
- holla, die Waldfee or possibly holla, Waldfee: exclamation of surprise or something?
- Honoratiorensprache f – language of the notabilities
- Hoppel
- Hornstrauch: see https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartriegel
- Hornuss - ball used in hornussen, reportedly a variant of Hornisse (although verify this independently)
- Hornussen - the game of hornussen
- Hügelkultur f: The practice of making raised garden beds filled with rotting wood.
- Humanbiologie
- Huppe: seems to be older form of Hupe, originally "Kinderpfeife aus Weidenrinde"
- Husarenkrapferl n
- Hutzelbrot n: bread baked with carved dried fruit; South German festive pastries
- Hypothesεως (gen. sg.), form of Hypothesis, as in .. Deliciæ Ebræo-Homileticæ, Das ist: Ergretzligkeiten der Ebräischen Sprache ... nebst Beyfügung, der neuen Hypothesεως, Herrn Caspar Neumanns ...
- Hypotheseωs as in: "von der Wahrheit der so genannten Osiandrischen Hypotheseωs" ([21])
I
[edit]- I bims
- ichtens (obs., except in Low German) – See also: icht, ichts, ichtwas, ichtwo, ichtwan, ichtwann
- Imponderabilien: imponderables
- Inkludenz = includence (in psychiatry)
- in Verbindung bringen (“to associate, to connect”)
- in Verruf geraten (“to fall into disrepute”)
- Infektionsrekord m (“record number of new infections”)
- Innigkeit
- in jedem zweiten Satz - found at the Chinese edition of Wiktionary
- Insurgent
J
[edit]- jeglich
- Jagdwurst: type of sausage; see Jagdwurst
- Jalla-Jalla, as a noun: Babak erinnerte immer wieder daran, dass es sich in Leipzig auch nur um zwei Spinner gehandelt haben könnte, die auf eigene Faust losgezogen sind und die Sache mit ein bisschen Jalla-Jalla größer machen wollten.__Gamren (talk) 18:57, 5 January 2019 (UTC)
- (This "Jalla-Jalla" is from the Arabic term ياالله, yalla!, meaning "c'mon, hurry". I don't think it qualifies as a German word. I really don't know how to handle a term like that. —Stephen (Talk) 11:03, 6 January 2019 (UTC))
- Juchhe
- Judenknax
- Judenlettern
- Judenpech = Jew's pitch (bitumen)
- Judenrampe: rail platform for prisoners arriving at a concentration camp
- Jugendweihe, Jugendfeier = German coming-of-age ceremony; see Jugendweihe
- Jugendfreizeiteinrichtung f
K
[edit]- Kabinenroller
- Kaasspatzen f – shouldn’t that be Kässpatzen or Käsespätzle (the latter is Swabian)
- In my opinion, Kaasspatzen is a regional variant form of Käsespätzle, a common dish in the Alemannic speaking areas of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein (Schwaben, Allgäu, Schweiz, Liechtenstein and Vorarlberg). See Kässpatzen at de.wp for more.
- Kasspatzen, Kässpatzen might be more common, though still be rather rare
- Kastenreuse
- Käferbohn (often as plural Käferbohnen) = a certain Austrian dish based on beans
- Kältestarre – biological term for a state similar to hibernation
- Kammersänger, honorific title for singers - please see Kammersänger.
- Kammerspielfilm m; see Kammerspielfilm.
- Kampfmittelaltlasten - UXO?
- Käpsele n: Southwestern German for 'smart person'.
- Kardätsche: maybe a kind of brush for a horse
- Kasachstandeutsche
- Kässchmier
- Katensasse - see Estonian kadakasakslane
- Kaulbarsch
- kindersprachlich
- Kindergrab, has an entry on the German Wiktionary
- Kiepenkerl, Klaaskerl: regional names for Stutenkerl (in North Alsace and Moselle)
- Kipferl: kind of bread roll?
- Seems to be a variant of Kipfl.
- kitschen (“to smear”)
- Kittenen – See Citations:Kittenen#German citations of Kittenen
- related to Quitte (plural Quitten) and Kitten (plural - also singular or in singular *Kitte?). Maybe it's a plural Kittenen for Kitten (which would mean the entry in Spieser's dictionary is wrong regarding number). A singular Kitten is indeed sometimes mentioned. Another less common form might be Kütten, plural Küttenen
- Klaasohm
- Klassenzugehörigkeit - class affiliation
- Kleinstwagen
- Klemperer - tinker; surname
- klenkes – a sign of greeting in the town of Aachen, Germany. See de:klenkes
- klumpern - mentioned at clumper
- Seems pretty obscure, but has an entry in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob Grimm und Wilhelm Grimm: [25].
- Knabenbauer - rare surname
- Knas = alt form of Knast
- Knautsch
- Knochenporzellan
- Knopfverschluss - button fastening
- Knortz (“outgrowth, knot”) - related to older Danish knort and Norwegian knort
- Knulle – potato, southern Brandenburg. See w:de:Kartoffel#Regionale_Namen.
- looks like a regional or dialectal form of Knolle. Germaniens Völkerstimmen has a text from Deutsch-Wartenberg im Grünberger Kreise (Silesia) with "de Knull'n" (= die Kartoffeln), sufficient for attesting a dialectal term.
- Kohlfahrt: North German tradition of hiking through the woods, then gathering for a meal of kale with bacon or sausage
- Konfibrot n: Swiss German for 'bread and jam'. In Germany the equivalent is Marmeladenbrot
- Konzipist
- Kopfzeug
- Koryza
- Krakeeler
- Krankenwagenjäger = ambulance chaser
- Kreuzallergie: German Wikipedia has article: maybe cross-reactivity in allergic reactions?
- Kriegsbeute
- Kriminal
- krummgetreten
- Krustenbraten
- Kuhblasen = cow blowing
- Kultusministerkonferenz f (“Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the States of the Federal Republic of Germany”)
- kunnte, kunte, gekunnt (= konnte, konte, gekonnt)
- Kunstkammer
- Komparativismus
- Kurrent: style of German handwriting; see Kurrent
- Various synonyms or hyponyms of Koriander: echter Koriander, Arabische Petersilie, Asiatische Petersilie, Chinesische Petersilie, Gartenkoriander, gebauter Koriander, Gewürzkoriander, Indische Petersilie, Kaliander, Klanner, Schwindelkorn, Schwindelkraut, Stinkdill, Wandläusekraut, Wanzendill, Wanzenkraut, Wanzenkümmel
L
[edit]- Láadan see w:de:Láadan
- Lachter
- Lahn - it's blue, but missing an entry for a noun stemming from French lame?
- not in current dictionaries but found in Grimm – Jberkel 09:42, 20 August 2021 (UTC)
- Landfahrer m = vagrant?
- Leasing n (“leasing”)
- Lebensmagnetismus = animal magnetism (in the historical sense of mesmerism)
- Legeröhre ovipositor
- Legwarmer
- Lehngut
- Leitbaukonzept n example sentence: "Damit soll Platz für die Rekonstruktion weiterer historischer Straßenzüge nach dem sogenannten Leitbautenkonzept geschaffen werden."
- Leukoplast - medical tape, borrowed in several Slavic languages (e.g. Russian and Bulgarian) with the same meaning
- Liegendanfahrt
- Limettengeschmack
- linearbandkeramischen, linienbandkeramischen
- linkseindeutig
- linksvollständig
- Linzer Augen: a kind of cookie? Linzer cookie
- The lemma form would be the singular Linzer Auge (which seems to be used even when the cookie has more than one “eye”). The German Wikipedia article Linzer Auge also mentions the regional name Pfauenauge (and also Spitzbub / Spitzbube, but we have those already, and the Spitzbube entry gives another synonym: Linzer Plätzchen). The German Wikipedia article also mentions a variation called Ochsenauge (blue link, but we don’t have this sense) or Ochsenäuglein.
- Live-Schalte f (“live feed”)
- Löschblattbögen m pl – blotter sheets?
- Löweneckerchen - dialectal term for lark?
- Ludolphsche = Ludolphine
- Luftrüssel-Tröte: apparently party horn, maybe regional
- Luftverkehr, Luftverkehrsgesellschaft
- Lünersee - See Lünersee at Wikipedia
- Lüst -- surname, and minor planet named after bearer of the surname
- Lütt un Lütt: a kind of drink; see German WP
- Lymphgefässsystem
- Luwin - Livigno
- Lwd. f: abbreviation of Leinwand
M
[edit]- Myrtenkranz
- Mylonit
- Mammutbäume
- Mehrzweckei
- Mundfäule
- mach einen langen Hals? keep one's eyes peeled
- Mädken
- Maggikraut = lovage (Liebstöckel): possibly informal: from similarity to Maggi brand soup or stock cubes??
- mählich
- Mannele: regional name for Stutenkerl (in North Alsace and Moselle)
- Männgen this is a noun.
- Manschgerl n – Bavarian diminutive of Mensch? Longtrend (talk)
- Marderhund
- Markgenossenschaft
- Marktrecht: medieval right to hold a market; see Wikipedia
- Marterl: (roadside) "column" shrine; also mentioned in Wikipedia
- Marterpfahl
- Martinshorn: see Martinshorn (though the English may not be very attestable)
- Marzipanschweinchen n
- Maskenfest n (“masquerade ball”) - Synonym of Maskenball. See w:1862 Fairytale Maskenfest. -- Alexander Patmos (talk) 04:18, 10 May 2026 (UTC)
- Mauer im Kopf: a mental "Berlin Wall" attitude of some kind
- Maylin: female given name
- Meggi: slang for McDonald's restaurant?
- Meistergesang
- Meisterlied
- Menschenläuse: cooties! (also apparently body lice)
- Merkwelt f – strange world?
- messern: from Messer, to attack with a knife - attested (WT:CFI)?
- Methodenstreit
- Metzelsuppe
- Mezze, Meze
- Michaja
- Mie-Streuung f
- Mietkutsche
- milchen – verb: "to give milk"; adjective: "made of milk"
- Milchhof m (noun) – Similar to Italian latteria, I think. "milk farm"/"dairy shop", common in dairy brand names. There is a South Tyrolean brand called "Latteria-Milchhof Brunico-Bruneck" for example. Emanuele6 (talk) 15:25, 4 January 2026 (UTC)
- The German Wikipedia has a disambiguation page for the term:
Milchhof on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia de Emanuele6 (talk) 15:54, 4 January 2026 (UTC)
- The German Wikipedia has a disambiguation page for the term:
- minderbelastete (SoP? not sure): "less responsible", a category of war criminal after WW2
- inflected form of minderbelastet, or Minderbelasteter m/Minderbelastete m, from minder and belastet, single word
- mit den Hühnern aufstehen: rise with the lark / get up with the chickens
- mit langen Zähnen essen: to make a face at food, to make it obvious you dislike the food while eating it
- Mitteldestillat, Mittelöl: terms related to beer?
- Möbelmalerei f – furniture painting?
- Montagsgerät n, lit. "Monday device": one that functions poorly, as if built on a Monday when workers are disgruntled.
- die Motten kriegen: apparently an idiom for being very astonished
- Mousse
- Mozarteum: various places associated with Mozart; see Wikipedia
- Münstereifel
- Musikdrama: see Musikdrama for definition and origins
- Marquard - a surname
- Mag. (Magister/Magistra)
- Mag.a (Magistra)
N
[edit]- Nachrichtenkennzeichnung f
- Nachzehrer m: a kind of vampire in German folklore (Nachzehrer). Please add etymology especially.
- Nacktsein n
- Natschalnik
- Naturfaser
- Nazaräa
- Neidgesellschaft
- Neid sieht nur das Blumenbeet, aber nicht den Spaten - a proverb
- Neuroide
- nichtlautgesetzlich
- Niederblätter = cataphyll ?
- Nipster: a Neo-Nazi hipster; see Nipster
- Nominalbetrag
- Norderstedt
- Normdatei f and Normdaten pl
- Notzucht
- Nouss - ball or puck used in hornussen
- Novalis - Novalis on German Wikipedia
- Novator
- Nowitschok n (“Novichok”)
- Nudel – (add sense and/or new etymology) potato, Szczecin, probably obsolete, given that all/nearly all Germans were expelled from the city. See w:de:Kartoffel#Regionale_Namen.
- Nüssli n – Swiss dialect, dim. of Nuss
- Nerewdeutschland - the word appears in several articles related to Heim ins Reich and Volksdeutsche
O
[edit]- o.ä. - abbreviation meaning "or other", "or similar" (cf. vel sim.)
- Oberteufel m – Demon King
- Ochs – a type of stance in swordsmanship
- oho: interjection (see oha)
- Öke: synonym of Bong.
- ökotrophologisch, Ökotrophologie f: compare w:de:Ökotrophologie
- Orakelspiel - seen at https://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/1921
- Ostaltmark f | the Eastern part of the Altmark region in East Germany --MaEr (talk) 19:21, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
- Osterfeuerräder n pl
- Ostjuden m pl
- Öxit: like Brexit but for Austria
- Osloß - a place in Germany
P
[edit]- Pädagogium, a type of school
- pah! interjection, possibly same as English
- Pantoffelregiment, Pantoffel-Regiment; old (archaic/obsolete?) word related to dominant women and henpecked men
- Parochie
- Passivhaus
- paurisch
- Pawirpen (from Low Prussian dialect) → plural form of Pawirp, an alternative form of Powirp
- Pfanddose
- Pflaumentoffel m
- from Pferd: there is a phrase like mit ihm kann man Pferde stehlen; what is it?
- Pinzgau: a region of Germany?
- Piz This might be a Swiss-German term referring to a mountain top, e.g. w:de:Piz Buin. It stems from the Romansh word 'piz' for 'peak'. --91.61.108.148 02:10, 7 December 2013 (UTC)
- Does anyone know: Is this Alemannic, or a German term used regionally in Switzerland, or both? And can someone say "Endlich seh ich den Piz!" Or is it only used in geographical names? – Gormflaith (talk) 16:15, 10 March 2018 (UTC)
- duden.de has it as Piz and in placenames Piz Palü, Piz Buin, Piz Bernina. The entry Piz has "Bergspitze (meist als Teil von Bergnamen, z. B. Piz Palü)", i.e. "mountain peak (mostly as part of mountain names, e.g. [example])". This would mean that the term is also non-Alemannic NHG and does sometimes occur outside of fixed place names. However, in a short google book search, I only saw Piz in place names. As for a start, how about a NHG entry Piz with a sense like "# {{lb|de|in place names}} mountain peak, peak of mountain" and with related terms like Piz Palü? If Piz is attested outside of place names, the label could be adjusted to "mostly in place names".
- Does anyone know: Is this Alemannic, or a German term used regionally in Switzerland, or both? And can someone say "Endlich seh ich den Piz!" Or is it only used in geographical names? – Gormflaith (talk) 16:15, 10 March 2018 (UTC)
- Plenken: "typographical term for the insertion of inappropriate spaces before a punctuation mark"; and Klempen, same thing but after the punctuation mark.
- Poch - an early card game similar to poker, from which ‘poker’ derives its name or a similar current card game. There are several variant forms of this word too, see ‘Poch’ on Wikipedia for more info.
- Poetaster
- Polenaktion f Roundup of people in Poland
- Pommesgabel or Pommespicker = sign of the horns (according to Wikipedia)
- Possenreißer
- Poststelle f (“mail room, post office”)
- Powerhalse: sth in windsurfing
- Prickler m: prickles?, some kind of
pricklyfizzy? drink (probably mix of beer or wine and lemonade)- There is a German verb prickeln. Prickler is also a surname in Germany. Perhaps, you should add some context just to clarify the meaning of 'Prickler'.
- pups? Pups? apparently it's a fart sound
- Putschiauto n: Swiss German, regional, for bumper cars
- Prosubstantiv n
- Päffgen - a surname, perhaps most famously of the singer Nico (Born Christa Päffgen)
Q
[edit]- Querx, pl. Querxe = dwarf
- What about other forms? Quargmannel, Quargmännel, Quargmännlein, Querke, Querge, Quergel, Querxel; Quarge (from here)
- Quarktasche - a kind of pastry: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarktasche
- Quaestor = treasurer at a university
R
[edit]- ℛℳ (RM) = Reichsmark, [Term?] (Rpf, different from ℛ₰) = Reichspfennig
- R-Wert m (“R number”)
- Rabulismus m: w:de:Rabulistik
- Raff: like going super fast, right? (I don't think so. To me it means up-take, gathering)
- Rammelkammer - a long hole bored into the trunk of a tree by a beetle
- Ramscheln (see Wikipedia and Ramsch)
- Raumparasitismus = contingent symbiosis (and associated Raumparasit)
- Rätedemokratie
- Realitätsabbildung f: Realität + Abbildung
- Rechtsanwaltsanwärter
- rechtseindeutig
- rechtsvollständig
- Regierungsblatt n (“governmental gazette”)
- Regionalpolizei
- Registrierzentrum n (“registration centre”)
- Reichspfennigmeister
- Reichsthaler m: old coin or something. Modern spelling is Reichstaler m.
- Reihn m shortened form of Reigen (see w:de:Reigen). Used in Goethe's poem "Erlkönig".
- Reithalle
- Rekordzahlen f pl (“record numbers, record figures”)
- Rekrutenschule
- Remittendentisch m table in bookstores with books at reduced prices
- Rentenpfennig: old currency unit, the "penny" of the Rentenmark
- Reservearznei f (“reserve medication”)
- resümieren ≈ summarize
- Rettungsboje = rescue buoy (distinct from a life buoy); see also Rettungsboje (Wehrmacht) from WW2
- Riege - blue link but missing definition: "Riege, the German name for the Rīdzene, a tributary of the Daugava river."
- We don't even have an English entry for this river, and it's not mentioned on Wikipedia. pass for now. – Jberkel 12:49, 1 August 2021 (UTC)
- Ringelpiez, Ringelpietz = type of social gathering with dancing; see de.wikipedia
- Ritschert - type of soup - see Ritschert
- Röckchen = snowflake, in Silesian dialect?
- de:w:Schneeflöckchen, Weißröckchen: "Weißröckchen, ein schlesisches Synonym für Schneeflocke". Whether this is correct and attestable and also a meaning of just Röckchen is another thing.
- Roggenmalz
- Roggenstein: "a kind of oolite in which the grains are cemented by argillaceous matter"
- Roggenwulf: a mythical wolfish creature that inhabits grain-fields
- Rotpunkt - see etymology for redpoint, a rock climbing term. - TheDaveRoss 13:11, 29 November 2019 (UTC)
- Rücktreibarkeit - Die Eigenschaft eines Antriebsstranges, die eine Bewegung durch einen Menschen auch im stromlosen Zustand ermöglicht, bezeichnet man als Rücktreibbarkeit. Der Antrieb hemmt sich dabei nicht selbst.
- rückwärts essen - to throw up, to puke
- Rüde f (Adalbert Kuhn: "eine große schwarze Rüde") – female big dog? Is it common enough?
- Adalbert Kuhn (1859), Sagen, Gebräuche und Märchen aus Westfalen (in German), F. A. Brockhaus, page 59
- I think this refers to a strong, aggressive dog here, perhaps with regional variation regarding the gender. Or some mythological creature? It's found in a collection of folk tales. – Jberkel 17:18, 17 November 2020 (UTC)
- ruhevoll as e.g. in the very last of Mahler 3rd: II.VI. Langsam. Ruhevoll. Empfunden. ([26]) Danke. ‑‑Sarri.greek ♫ I 15:03, 9 July 2025 (UTC)
- Rumfort-Pfanne - a dish
- Rummelpott, Rummelpottlaufen, Rummelpottlopen - "In Northern Germany and Southern Denmark, children dress up in costumes and go trick-or-treating on New Year's Eve in a tradition called "Rummelpott". Rummelpott has experienced a massive decrease in popularity over recent decades, although some towns and communities are trying to revive it."
- Rundschau - panorama, all-around view
- Roschtl - see Serbo-Croatian roštilj
- Rockenfeld - etymon of English Rockefeller
- Rettenegger - a surname
- raus - slang for "out!"?
S
[edit]- Saatgut
- Salniter – synonym of Salpeter [cp. Adelung], or different from it [like Salpeter being ungeläutert und Salniter being geläutert; cp. Leonhart Thurneisser, 1583], or both depending on definition/author?
- Saße - listed in Estonian etymological dictionaries as meaning "place of living", "abode". See the second entry here. Appears to be related to sitzen, although this is just a guess. Online German dictionaries do not seem to list this word at all. Relevant to determining the etymology of kadakasakslane. Estonian etymological dictionaries say it is a phono-semantic matching of the German word Katensaße, but it is unclear if this word exists.
- Sämerei
- Sängerbund m: singers' union; association of singers or singing clubs.
- sassisch
- Sauzahn, literally "sow tooth"; part of a hoe? See Hoe (tool). Not same as sawtooth!
- Schacherei f
- Schafkopf, Schaffkopf, Schafkopfen: a card game; see Wikipedia
- Schafstall
- Schaftstiefelgrotesk
- Schatzbehälter, found in DWDS and also here. It appears to mean something like "thing used to store treasury," but I can't find an English translation of the definition, so I won't create the entry myself.
- Schatzordnung, found in these sources. Dates back to the 1600s or the 1500s. I'm not sure of the definition; I think it means something akin to "taxation."
- Schäumchen n
- Scheinsicherheit f - "Pseudo-safety," or a false sense of security.
- Schilderhaus
- Schinkenfleckerl - Austrian baked ham pasta
- schlackenlos – slagless
- Schlachteplatte, Schlachtplatte, Schlachtschüssel: see Schlachteplatte.
- Schlagball: a game; see Schlagball
- Schlagband
- Schlangeneidechse f: lizard of genus Tetradactylus
- Schlauraffenland: probably obsolete form of Schlaraffenland
- schlenzrig: dialectal for matschig/schlabberig/sabschig/..? Appears in a couple of cookbooks on books.google
- Schlotte
- Schlotzer m: Southwest German for pacifier, lollipop or a person who sucks these things or drinks wine
- Schluri m: frivolous, unreliable person
- Schnate (“wound, border”) - see Old Norse naddr
- Schnau - see Serbo-Croatian шну
- Schnitzbrot n: bread baked with carved dried fruit; South German festive pastries
- Schragen
- Schraubthaler
- schreib dir das hinter die Ohren
- Schuhplatten | should be Schuhplatteln (“the act of dancing the Schuhplattler”) or Schuhplattler, see w:Schuhplattler --MaEr (talk) 19:41, 20 January 2013 (UTC)
- Schulgipfel m (“school summit”)
- Schunkeln – dance style?
- the verb is schunkeln - Jberkel 15:33, 20 April 2020 (UTC)
- Schwabbelbacke f
- Schwadrone f - alt form of Schwadron f?
- Schwebung
- Schwefelsee, Schwefelgrube f: possibly meaning solfatara?
- schwuppsdiwupps: apparently slang for "very fast, lickety-split"?
- Schwurschädel (often translated as “oath skull”) - a skull that defendants and witnesses in a Vehmic court would swear on
- Sehfeld n (“field of view”)
- sehr geehrter – means 'dear' but could do with literal translation and usage details.
- Seidenspinner
- Seilchenspringen n
- seitenlang
- sei dabei oder sei ein faules Ei = be there or be square??
- Selbstbeschäftigung – in the sense of 'being obsessed with one's own issues' (as here: [27]), and other sense googling suggest: 'self-employment', 'children keeping themselves busy'
- Selenskyj - surname from Ukrainian, equivalent to English Zelenskyy
- Sibirienzulage
- Sicherheitsausrüstung
- Sickergrube
- Siegfriedstellung
- sensitiver Beziehungswahn
- Silesian personal and possessive pronouns. They also need an explanation of the forms: Are some forms in spelling similar to non-dialectal High German (e.g. Dir/Dich) even if it sounds differently, or do some forms belong to different sub-dialects (e.g. Dich vs. Dihch (Diech))? Are some forms clitic or weak (e.g. De), or are some used for emphasis (e.g. Dihch)?
- Karl von Holtei:
- 1st ps. sg.: ich/ihch, dat. mir/mer, acc. mich/mihch; mei' (also mein in "mein Got'", dat. meinem, acc. meinen; m.) / / mei' (dat. meinem, also mei'm, n.)
- 2nd ps. sg.: Du/De [also D'-/D'?], Dir/Der, Dich/Dihch; (Dein, dat. Deinem, acc. Deinen, m.) / Deine (f., dat. Deiner) / Dei' (n., dat. Deinem) / Deine (pl., dat. Deinen)
- Robert Rößler:
- Max Heinzel:
- Karl von Holtei:
- sich keine Verzierung abbrechen - and related idioms
- Sinfonietta (“sinfonietta”) – seemingly coined from Italian roots by Joachim Raff in 1874; perhaps whence the English sinfonietta (German term first attested in 1874, English in 1881, and Italian in 1884; French symphoniette first attested in 1872)
- Slipmat
- Sonderfahndungsliste
- Sondergotter
- Spartakiade
- Spatensoldat m (s. Bausoldat)
- Spatzenhirn
- Speciesthaler / Speciestaler / Speziestaler: a silver coin; see Speciesthaler
- Speisenweihe, Speisensegnung — apparently the Austrian/German equivalent to Polish święconka
- spezifisches Epitheton n (“specific epithet”)
- Spielshow
- Spießerei f gunfight, shooting → no, it's not "gunfight" or "shooting" (that would be "Schießerei"). Spießerei means Philistinism
- Spießertum n Philistinism
- Spillflöte
- Spitzflöte
- spoliieren (veraltet) equiv. to spoil, from Latin spoliare - Duden Universalwörterbuch 2006.
- According to duden.de it's "veraltet, noch landschaftlich", thus not (just) "veraltet"
- Sportrechtshandel f (“the buying and selling of sports rights”)
- Sprachbild (literally “language picture”) (see de.wiktionary)
- sprachlehrig (“grammatical”): Sprachlehre (“grammar”) + -ig
- Sprechstundenhilfe f ≈ Arzthelferin
- Sprenkelpapier n (“sprinkled paper”) - A type of decorative paper commonly used in 18th and 19th-century bookbinding for endpapers or covers; created by directly sprinkling colors (often in a starchy base) onto a sheet of paper. -- Alexander Patmos (talk) 04:18, 10 May 2026 (UTC)
- Springwurzel
- Spritzung squirting
- Ssabier (alt form of Sabier, Sabäer = Sabian, maybe having another alt form Zabier?)
- ßich (alt form of ſich) - Zipser German. Attestable (e.g. in the works of w:de:Claus Stephani or w:de:Anton-Joseph Ilk, of which google only gives some snippets not revealing whether it's complete Zipser text or something else)?
- Staatsroman m – see w:de:Staatsroman. "For example, the organizationally oriented Staatsroman of eighteenth-century Germany which plotted out the perfect state was no longer a useful sort of text at a time when the structures of domination were firmly set in place." (Tom Moylan, Demand the Impossible: Science Fiction and the Utopian Imagination [Methuen, 1986], pp. 5–6.)
- Stadtschnellbahn f
- Stammtischsätze – ? maybe Stammtischgespräch?
- Stammtisch + Sätze (plural of Satz m)
- Ständerling m: regional for cozy get-together
- Standgebläse - slang for short girl
- Standhahn - appears to be a synonym for Wasserhahn? Not sure how these two are different in meaning?
- Standhahnmutterschlüssel - See also the WP pages at w:de:Standhahnmutterschlüssel and w:en:Basin wrench
- Stellplatzverordnung
- Stinkstiefel
- Stock im Arsch = stick up one's ass
- stopeln (“to be stiff”) - see German stolpern
- Stoßtrupp - shock troop
- Streif (“wisp”), as in Nebelstreif or in Silberstreif
- Streitigkeiten pl (not sure if the singular is ever used)
- streitschlichtend, Streitschlichtung
- striezen (Verb)
- Strohbass = vocal fry?
- Stumpf und Stiel - mainly used in etwas mit Stumpf und Stiel ausrotten, but appears in other contexts
- stuppen
- Stutenkerl, Stutenmann: a kind of festive pastry; see WP
- subsidiär
- Südwestfunk m – proper noun, name of a radio/tv station (south-west + Funk) It no longer exists. It has merged with Süddeutscher Rundfunk to form Südwestrundfunk.
- WT:CFI#Names - Does it pass?
- super- Prefix meaning very (as in superkurz and supertoll, for example). Mainly colloquial, I think. Some more examples: superlaut, supersauber, supergeil, supermegapeinlich.
- Swingheinis "swing kids"? young swing music subculture during Nazism
- See also Swingjugend – Jberkel 03:21, 10 November 2021 (UTC)
- schmeichen - see German Schminke
- Schuermann - see English Schuermann
- Symbiotismus = symbiosis (but possibly not the modern term for it)
T
[edit]- Tabulatur: see Meistersinger which says it is a law-book of a guild of such singers.
- tarifpolitisch
- Taschenspieler
- Tathandlung: used by Fichte related to Handlung and possibly Tat or Tatsache. It means roughly an action that is simultaneous the product of that action. Used specifically to the formation of self-consciousness.
- Telemediengesetz n: some sort of telecommunications law?
- tempieren - from Latin "tempus"
- Thun - listed at tuna as a translation
- Tiefsein
- tief + sein, substantivised (best related duden.de result)
- Tiefstufe - term in Indo-European linguistics
- Tingeltangel m or n
- Tischteppich m: best translation I've come up with yet is "area rug"; other ideas welcome
- Todesverkundigen (“annunciation of death”)
- Maybe typo for the plural Todesverkündigungen of Todesverkündigung f, or unlikely a rare substantivisation Todesverkündigen n of (Tod + verkündigen)? Also unlikely, but related: Todesverkündiger m.
- Top Seller – from the film Er ist wieder da.
- Tolm or Tulm, Thalmann or Tholmann, also Dolme(r) and Dallum - Rotwelsch words for gallows, Galgen. Needs usage examples or at least etymology.
- Train (from train)
- Trainpferd n, Trainsoldat m
- Tricesimation (“tricesimation”) – ultimately from the Latin trīcēsimus (“thirtieth”); whence Tricesimationskasse and the English tricesimation
- Trinklied = drinking song
- tropfbar, tropfbarflüssig
- tschundern
U
[edit]- uͤ - an old way of writing ü
- Übergabeeinschreiben or Übergabe-Einschreiben
- überreissen - "Austrian slang for verstehen, to understand"[28]
- This would also be the Swiss spelling of überreißen, which (according to DWDS) is a term in tennis and table tennis.
- Überschwupper
- überzerren
- umblasen
- Umgangston
- umhalsen
- umpusten
- umwehen
- unbetitelt (“untitled”)
- Unkraut vergeht nicht: proverb?
- unter der Fuchtel stehen to be under the control of another person. Originally this term meant the situation of a soldier who was subject to physical punishment (The "Fuchtel" was a broad sword which was used to inflict such a punishment by beating an offending soldier with the broad side).
- unter der Knute stehen to suffer under an oppressive regime
- unter dem Pantoffel stehen to be henpecked
- Untermiete
- Untermieter
- Unteroffiziersdienstgrad: "non-commissioned officer rank" (military). See also German Wikipedia - Katgorie:Unteroffiziersdienstgrad
- Uradel -- see Uradel
- Urbewusstsein = original consciousness (in Husserlian phenomenology)
- Urdummheit
- Urhund
- Urkund (also urkund as in [29], [30]?) – as in "Urkund dessen", "zu Urkund dessen", "in Urkund dessen"
- Urschöpfung f
- U-Stein m – some kind of concrete or building material H. (talk) 09:46, 15 April 2009 (UTC) | a concrete block in the shape of the letter U. See google images
- Uexküll/Üxküll - Baltic German surname and placename
V
[edit]- Vehmgericht n
- Verächtlichmachung f ≈ disparagement
- Verdingkind n: see Verdingkinder
- vereinheitlichen
- Verhackert: a kind of bacon spread; see [31]
- Verhau
- verkitschen (“to sell cheap”)
- verkoksen - "waste on coke/drugs"?
- verkrumpelt
- Verließ - underground dungeon
- vernagelt closed by using nails, colloquially used figuratively meaning "close-minded"
- verschleifen - linguistic term, among other things
- Versitzgrube
- verstandesmäßig
- Vervielfältigungsmedium n, medium used to copy
- Verwaltungseinheit (“administrative division”), see w:de:Verwaltungseinheit.
- Verwandtschaftseinheiten
- Verweich m - Grimm
- Verweisungszusammenhang m
- Vetterliwirtschaft
- Vielgeschlechtlichkeit
- Viertele n: Southwest German for 0.25 l glass of wine
- Viertelesschlotzer m: Southwest German for someone who drinks a lot of wine
- * Viertelesschlotzerin f: female variant
- Villa, in the GDR this was reportedly used for a mansion of a communist bigwig specifically
- visieren (“to sign off on, to take aim at”)
- Volksführer
- Volkskanzler
- vom Zaun brechen/über den Zaun brechen: to start (a quarrel)
- von ohnfürdenklichen (Jahren/Zeiten) - -sche
- Literally translated, "ohnfürdenklich" means "without thinkable". The term is obsolete now. unerdenklich is synonymous and used these days: "seit unerdenklichen Zeiten".
- Another form of unfürdenklich, unvordenklich (see also undenklich), and superfically it's from ohne or un-, vor or für, denken and -lich.
- Literally translated, "ohnfürdenklich" means "without thinkable". The term is obsolete now. unerdenklich is synonymous and used these days: "seit unerdenklichen Zeiten".
- vordringlich
- vorneweg
- Vorstellungsverlauf m = "presentational course"?
- vorstreichen
- vortasten
- Vortrieb
W
[edit]- Wachhaus
- Wahlsystem
- Waldbeeren = wild berries; forest fruits
- Wasserspatzen = 18th-c. term for Spätzle (according to en.wikipedia); lit. "water sparrows"
- Webdesign
- Weckmann = regional (west and southwest) name for Stutenkerl
- wegfetzen
- Wehrbauer
- Wehweh, Wehwehchen
- Weihnachtsgurke = Christmas pickle
- Weihnachtskarpfen m
- Weihnukka = Chrismukkah
- weltbeste, weltbestem, weltbesten, weltbester, weltbestes - world’s best (I would add these myself, but I’m not sure how to do the entries - the corresponding words without welt- are done as inflections of gut, but I don’t think there’s such a word as weltgut.)
- Weltinnenraum m
- Weltgeistlicher m – world priest? a priest of the world spirit
- wenn es dem Esel zu wohl ist, geht er aufs Eis tanzen - proverb, described here: [32]
- wennst
- Werkvertrag
- Wertantinomie f contradiction of values
- Westwall = Siegfried Line?
- Wettanbieter m
- Wetterspaß m (“enjoyment of the prevailing weather conditions”)
- Wibele: type of Swabian biscuit; see Wibele and [33]
- widerraten
- wie eine Primel eingehen = be shy, introverted, a wallflower?
- Windtorte: type of cake; see Spanische Windtorte
- Winterruhe: biological term for a state similar to but milder than hibernation
- Winterspeck
- Winterstarre: biological term for a state similar to hibernation
- Wildschutzgebiet: wildlife conservation area?
- Wirbelrohr: (a kind of) vortex tube?
- Wolkenphänomen n. - cloud phenomenon, i.e. fallstreak hole -- Alexander Patmos (talk) 04:18, 10 May 2026 (UTC)
- Wollwurst: type of sausage made from veal and pork
- Wortfamilie
X
[edit]Y
[edit]Z
[edit]- Zäuerli, a form a yodeling found in Appenzellerland.
- zahnlippig, linguistics, Zahn + Lippe + -ig ~ dentolabial (not necessary with the upper/lower distinction as in the entries dentolabial & labiodental)
- Zapfeln
- zartherb
- Zedernbrot n
- Zember
- Zicke Zacke Hühnerkacke: not sure: a saying from the DDR film Kai aus dem Kiste? (most Google hits are for a board game)
- Ziererei f
- Zöpfli - WP says "Swiss German word for a snack-sized braided buttery bread"
- Zuchtwarte – an animal husbandry term (?) for "supervisor of breeding"
- Zug um Zug - "move by move"?
- zugleiten
- Zugtierlast
- Zuris (from Low Prussian dialect)
- Zuschneider – some type of tailor or pattern cutter
- Zwangsfernsehen n: e.g. in [34], [35]
- Zweckentfremdungsverbotsverordnung f – change of use prohibition ordinance (regulation to prevent unauthorized change of use of residential property). See Leipzig Corpus, taz.de 24 April 2022
- Zwetschenwasser: type of plum brandy
- zwölfe
- Zwölfender