edelweiss

See also: Edelweiss, Edelweiß, and édelweiss

English

WOTD – 31 May 2008

An edelweiss.

Etymology

Borrowed from German Edelweiß, from edel (“noble”) + weiß (“white”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈeɪdəlvaɪs/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

Noun

edelweiss (usually uncountable, plural edelweisses)

1. A European perennial alpine plant (Leontopodium alpinum), with downy leaves and small white flower heads in a dense cluster.
   • 2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 297:

     And that will mean farewell to the edelweiss, adieu the eider goose.

Translations

Leontopodium alpinum

• Arabic: إِيدِلْفَايْس f (ʔīdilfāys)
• Azerbaijani: edelveys
• Basque: elur-lore
• Catalan: flor de neu f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 雪絨花 / 雪绒花 (xuěrónghuā)

• Czech: protěž f, protěž alpská (cs) f, plesnivec alpský m
• Danish: edelweiss c
• Finnish: alppitähti (fi), edelweiss (fi)
• French: edelweiss (fr) m, étoile d'argent f
• German: Edelweiß (de) n
• Greek: εντελβάις (el) (entelváis)

  Ancient Greek: λεοντοπόδιον n (leontopódion)

• Hungarian: gyopár (hu)
• Ido: edelweiss (io)
• Italian: stella alpina f
• Japanese: エーデルワイス (ēderuwaisu), 西洋薄雪草 (seiyōusuyukisō)
• Kazakh: еңлікгүл (eŋlikgül)
• Korean: 에델바이스 (edelbaiseu)
• Māori: niniao
• Mòcheno: edelbais n
• Polish: szarotka alpejska (pl) f
• Romanian: floare-de-colț (ro) f, edelvais (ro) m, albumeală (ro) f
• Romansh: stailalva alpina f
• Russian: эдельве́йс (ru) m (edelʹvéjs)
• Serbo-Croatian: рунолист m, runolist (sh) m, планинка f, planinka (sh) f
• Slovene: planika (sl) f, očnica f
• Slovak: plesnivec alpínsky m
• Spanish: flor de las nieves f
• Tagalog: bungang-niyebe
• Turkish: edelweiss (tr), aslanayağı
• Ukrainian: білотка альпійська f (bilotka alʹpijsʹka)
• Welsh: troed y llew m

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from German Edelweiß.

Noun

edelweiss c (singular definite edelweissen, plural indefinite edelweiss)

1. edelweiss, Leontopodium alpinum

Inflection

Declension of edelweiss

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	edelweiss	edelweissen	edelweiss	edelweisserne edelweissene
genitive	edelweiss'	edelweissens	edelweiss'	edelweissernes edelweissenes

References

• “edelweiss” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from German Edelweiß.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈeː.dəlˌʋɛi̯s/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: edel‧weiss

Noun

edelweiss n or m (plural edelweissen, diminutive edelweissje n)

1. edelweiss, Leontopodium alpinum

Finnish

Etymology

From German Edelweiß.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈeːdelʋɑi̯s/, [ˈe̞ːde̞lʋɑ̝i̯s̠]
• Rhymes: -eːdelʋɑis

Noun

edelweiss

1. synonym of alppitähti (“edelweiss”)

Declension

Inflection of edelweiss (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		edelweiss	edelweissit
genitive		edelweissin	edelweissien
partitive		edelweissia	edelweisseja
illative		edelweissiin	edelweisseihin
		singular	plural
nominative		edelweiss	edelweissit
accusative	nom.	edelweiss	edelweissit
	gen.	edelweissin
genitive		edelweissin	edelweissien
partitive		edelweissia	edelweisseja
inessive		edelweississa	edelweisseissa
elative		edelweissista	edelweisseista
illative		edelweissiin	edelweisseihin
adessive		edelweissilla	edelweisseilla
ablative		edelweissilta	edelweisseilta
allative		edelweissille	edelweisseille
essive		edelweissina	edelweisseina
translative		edelweissiksi	edelweisseiksi
abessive		edelweissitta	edelweisseitta
instructive		—	edelweissein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of edelweiss (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative edelweissini edelweissini accusative nom. edelweissini edelweissini gen. edelweissini genitive edelweissini edelweissieni partitive edelweissiani edelweissejani inessive edelweississani edelweisseissani elative edelweissistani edelweisseistani illative edelweissiini edelweisseihini adessive edelweissillani edelweisseillani ablative edelweissiltani edelweisseiltani allative edelweissilleni edelweisseilleni essive edelweissinani edelweisseinani translative edelweissikseni edelweisseikseni abessive edelweissittani edelweisseittani instructive — — comitative — edelweisseineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative edelweissisi edelweissisi accusative nom. edelweissisi edelweissisi gen. edelweissisi genitive edelweissisi edelweissiesi partitive edelweissiasi edelweissejasi inessive edelweississasi edelweisseissasi elative edelweissistasi edelweisseistasi illative edelweissiisi edelweisseihisi adessive edelweissillasi edelweisseillasi ablative edelweissiltasi edelweisseiltasi allative edelweissillesi edelweisseillesi essive edelweissinasi edelweisseinasi translative edelweissiksesi edelweisseiksesi abessive edelweissittasi edelweisseittasi instructive — — comitative — edelweisseinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative edelweissimme edelweissimme accusative nom. edelweissimme edelweissimme gen. edelweissimme genitive edelweissimme edelweissiemme partitive edelweissiamme edelweissejamme inessive edelweississamme edelweisseissamme elative edelweissistamme edelweisseistamme illative edelweissiimme edelweisseihimme adessive edelweissillamme edelweisseillamme ablative edelweissiltamme edelweisseiltamme allative edelweissillemme edelweisseillemme essive edelweissinamme edelweisseinamme translative edelweissiksemme edelweisseiksemme abessive edelweissittamme edelweisseittamme instructive — — comitative — edelweisseinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative edelweissinne edelweissinne accusative nom. edelweissinne edelweissinne gen. edelweissinne genitive edelweissinne edelweissienne partitive edelweissianne edelweissejanne inessive edelweississanne edelweisseissanne elative edelweissistanne edelweisseistanne illative edelweissiinne edelweisseihinne adessive edelweissillanne edelweisseillanne ablative edelweissiltanne edelweisseiltanne allative edelweissillenne edelweisseillenne essive edelweissinanne edelweisseinanne translative edelweissiksenne edelweisseiksenne abessive edelweissittanne edelweisseittanne instructive — — comitative — edelweisseinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative edelweissinsa edelweissinsa accusative nom. edelweissinsa edelweissinsa gen. edelweissinsa genitive edelweissinsa edelweissiensa partitive edelweissiaan edelweissiansa edelweissejaan edelweissejansa inessive edelweississaan edelweississansa edelweisseissaan edelweisseissansa elative edelweissistaan edelweissistansa edelweisseistaan edelweisseistansa illative edelweissiinsa edelweisseihinsa adessive edelweissillaan edelweissillansa edelweisseillaan edelweisseillansa ablative edelweissiltaan edelweissiltansa edelweisseiltaan edelweisseiltansa allative edelweissilleen edelweissillensa edelweisseilleen edelweisseillensa essive edelweissinaan edelweissinansa edelweisseinaan edelweisseinansa translative edelweissikseen edelweissiksensa edelweisseikseen edelweisseiksensa abessive edelweissittaan edelweissittansa edelweisseittaan edelweisseittansa instructive — — comitative — edelweisseineen edelweisseinensa

Further reading

• “edelweiss”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 14 May 2026

French

Alternative forms

• édelweiss (post-1990 spelling)

Etymology

Borrowed from German Edelweiß. See English edelweiss.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e.dɛl.vajs/

• Audio (Paris):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Noun

edelweiss m (invariable)

1. edelweiss, Leontopodium alpinum

   Synonyms: étoile d'argent, étoile des neiges, immortelle des neiges, pied-de-lion

Further reading

• “edelweiss” in the Dictionnaire de l’Académie française, 9th Edition (1992–2024).
• “edelweiss”, in Dictionnaire français en ligne Larousse
• “edelweiss” in Dictionnaire Le Robert.
• “edelweiss”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012