tief

See also: Tief

German

Etymology

(deprecated template usage) From Middle High German tief, tiuf, from Old High German tiuf, from Proto-Germanic *deupaz, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewb-. Compare Low German deep, Dutch diep, English deep, Danish dyb, Norwegian dyp, Icelandic djúpur.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tiːf/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːf

Adjective

tief (comparative tiefer, superlative am tiefsten)

1. deep (also figuratively)

   Wie tief ist das Wasser?

   How deep is the water?

   Sie hat ein tiefes Verständnis der russischen Kultur.

   She has a deep understanding of Russian culture.

2. low

   Du hast das Bild zu tief gehängt.

   You hung the picture too low.

Usage notes

German niedrig is a more generally applicable translation of English low. Tief can cover the meaning of niedrig in many contexts, but not vice versa.

Antonyms

• (shallow): untief, flach

Derived terms

• vertiefen
• knietief
• Tiefschlag
• Tiefsee

Further reading

• “tief” in Duden online