The English language has incorporated various

loanword A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because th ...

s, terms, phrases, or quotations from the German language. A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language without translation. It is distinguished from a calque, or loan translation, where a meaning or idiom from another language is translated into existing words or roots of the host language. Some of the expressions are relatively common (e.g., ''

hamburger A hamburger, or simply burger, is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically Ground beef, beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles ...

''), but most are comparatively rare. In many cases, the loanword has assumed a meaning substantially different from its German forebear. English and German both are

West Germanic languages The West Germanic languages constitute the largest of the three branches of the Germanic family of languages (the others being the North Germanic and the extinct East Germanic languages). The West Germanic branch is classically subdivided into ...

, though their relationship has been obscured by the

lexical Lexical may refer to: Linguistics * Lexical corpus or lexis, a complete set of all words in a language * Lexical item, a basic unit of lexicographical classification * Lexicon, the vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge * Lex ...

influence of

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

and Norman French (as a consequence of the

Norman conquest of England The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...

in 1066) on English as well as the High German consonant shift. In recent years, however, many English words have been borrowed directly from German. Typically, English spellings of German loanwords suppress any umlauts (the superscript, double-dot

diacritic A diacritic (also diacritical mark, diacritical point, diacritical sign, or accent) is a glyph added to a letter or to a basic glyph. The term derives from the Ancient Greek (, "distinguishing"), from (, "to distinguish"). The word ''diacriti ...

in '' Ä'', '' Ö'', '' Ü'', ''ä'', ''ö'', and ''ü'') of the original word or replace the umlaut letters with ''Ae'', ''Oe'', ''Ue'', ''ae'', ''oe'', ''ue'', respectively (as is done commonly in German speaking countries when the umlaut is not available; the origin of the umlaut was a superscript E). German words have been incorporated into English usage for many reasons: *German cultural artifacts, especially foods, have spread to English-speaking nations and often are identified either by their original German names or by German-sounding English names. *Developments and discoveries in German-speaking nations in science,

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

, and classical music have led to German words for new concepts, which have been adopted into English: for example the words '' doppelgänger'' and ''

angst Angst is fear or anxiety (''anguish'' is its Romance languages, Latinate cognate, equivalent, and the words ''anxious'' and ''anxiety'' are of similar origin). The dictionary definition for angst is a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insec ...

'' in psychology. *Discussion of German history and culture requires some German words. *Some German words are used in English narrative to identify that the subject expressed is in German, e.g., ''Frau'', ''Reich''. As languages, English and German descend from the common ancestor language West Germanic and further back to

Proto-Germanic Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic branc ...

; because of this, some English words are essentially identical to their German lexical counterparts, either in spelling (''Hand'', ''Sand'', ''Finger'') or pronunciation ("fish" = ''Fisch'', "mouse" = ''Maus''), or both (''Arm'', ''Ring''); these are excluded from this list. German common nouns fully adopted into English are in general not initially capitalized, and the German letter " ß" is generally changed to "ss".

German terms commonly used in English

Most of these words will be recognized by many English speakers; they are commonly used in English contexts. Some, such as ''wurst'' and ''pumpernickel'', retain German connotations, while others, such as ''lager'' and ''hamburger'', retain none. Not every word is recognizable outside its relevant context. A number of these expressions are used in American English, under the influence of German immigration, but not in British English.

Food and drink

Altbier Altbier (German: ''old beer'') is a style of beer brewed in the Rhineland, especially around the city of Düsseldorf, Germany. It is a copper coloured beer whose name comes from it being top-fermented, an older method than the bottom ferme ...

—a copper coloured, malt-forward, clean and crisp tasting, lighter-bodied beer with moderate bitterness from Rhineland. *

Berliner Weisse Berliner Weisse (German: Berliner Weiße, ) is a cloudy, sour beer of around 5% alcohol by volume. It is a regional variation of the wheat beer style from Northern Germany, dating back to at least the 16th century. It can be made from combination ...

(German spelling: ''Berliner Weiße'')—a

sour beer Sour beer, also known as Sours, is beer which has an intentionally acidic, tart, or sour taste. Traditional sour beer styles include Belgian lambics, gueuze and Flanders red ale, and German gose and Berliner Weisse. Brewing Unlike modern bre ...

often infused with fruit syrup. *

Biergarten A beer garden (German: ''Biergarten'') is an outdoor area in which beer and food are served, typically at shared tables shaded by trees. Beer gardens originated in Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital city, in the 19th century, and remain co ...

—an open-air drinking establishment. *

Bock Bock is a strong beer in Germany, usually a dark lager. Several substyles exist, including: *Doppelbock (''Double Bock''), a stronger and maltier version *Eisbock (''Ice Bock''), a much stronger version made by partially freezing the beer and ...

—a strong beer. * Braunschweiger—a liverwurst cold-cut (though, in Germany, ''Braunschweiger'' describes a smoked ground beef sausage). *

Bratwurst Bratwurst () is a type of German sausage made from pork or, less commonly, beef or veal. The name is derived from the Old High German ''Brätwurst'', from ''brät-'', finely chopped meat, and ''Wurst'', sausage, although in modern German it is o ...

(also

brat Brat, Brats, The Brat or similar may refer to: Term for young people * Spoiled child * Military brat ** Military brat (U.S. subculture) * Trenchard Brat, a nickname for aircraft apprentices in the British Royal Air Force Films * ''The Br ...

)—a type of frying sausage. *

Budweiser Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, part of AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. ''Budweiser'' may also refer to an unrela ...

—a beer, named after Budweis, the German name of Budějovice, a city in Southern

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

. *

Bundt cake A Bundt cake () is a cake that is baked in a Bundt pan, shaping it into a distinctive doughnut shape. The shape is inspired by a traditional European cake known as , but Bundt cakes are not generally associated with any single recipe. The style of ...

(from ''Bundkuchen''; in German: a ''Gug(e)lhupf'')—a ring cake. *

Delicatessen Traditionally, a delicatessen or deli is a retail establishment that sells a selection of fine, exotic, or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessen originated in Germany (original: ) during the 18th century and spread to the United States in the m ...

(German spelling: ''Delikatessen'')—a speciality food retailer; fine foods. *

Dunkel Dunkel, or Dunkles, is a word used for several types of dark German lager. ''Dunkel'' is the German word meaning ''dark'', and dunkel beers typically range in color from amber to dark reddish brown. They are characterized by their smooth malty f ...

(also Dunkles)—a dark beer. *

Emmentaler Emmental, Emmentaler, or Emmenthal is a yellow, medium-hard cheese that originated in the area around Emmental, in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is classified as a Swiss-type or Alpine cheese. Emmental was first mentioned in written re ...

(also Emmental)—a yellow, medium-hard

Swiss cheese Swiss cheese may refer to: Cheese * List of Swiss cheeses (from Switzerland) * Swiss-type cheeses or Alpine cheeses, a class of cooked pressed cheeses now made in many countries * Swiss cheese (North America), any of several related varieties o ...

that originated in the area around

Emmental The Emmental ( en, Emme Valley) is a valley in west-central Switzerland, forming part of the canton of Bern. It is a hilly landscape comprising the basins of the rivers Emme (river), Emme and Ilfis (river), Ilfis. The region is mostly devoted to ...

Canton Bern The canton of Bern or Berne (german: Kanton Bern; rm, Chantun Berna; french: canton de Berne; it, Canton Berna) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. ...

. * Frankfurter (also frank or frankfurt)—a type of sausage. *

Gose Gose () is a warm fermented beer that originated in Goslar, Germany. It is usually brewed with at least 50% of the grain bill being malted wheat. Dominant flavours in gose include a lemon sourness, a herbal characteristic, and a strong salti ...

—a top-fermenting

that originated in

Goslar Goslar (; Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines ...

, Germany. *

Grätzer Grodziskie (; other names: Grätzer, Grodzisz) is a historical beer style from Poland made from oak-smoked wheat malt with a clear, light golden color, high carbonation, low alcohol content, low to moderate levels of hop bitterness, and a stro ...

—a beer style named after Grätz, the German name of

Grodzisk Wielkopolski Grodzisk Wielkopolski (german: Grätz) is a town in western Poland, in Greater Poland Voivodeship (Wielkopolskie), with a population of 13,703 (2006). It is south-west of Poznań, the voivodeship capital. It is the seat of Grodzisk Wielkopols ...

, a city in Greater Poland *

Gugelhupf A Gugelhupf (also ''Kugelhupf'', ''Guglhupf'', ''Gugelhopf'', and, in France, ''kouglof'', ''kougelhof'', or ''kougelhopf'') is a cake traditionally baked in a distinctive ring pan, similar to Bundt cake, but leavened with baker's yeast. Th ...

—a type of cake with a hole in the middle. *

Gummi bear Gummy bears (German: ''Gummibär'') are small, fruit gum candies, similar to a jelly baby in some English-speaking countries. The candy is roughly long and shaped in the form of a bear. The gummy bear is one of many gummies, popular gelatin ...

(in German: ''Gummibär'', but the product is only known as ''Gummibärchen'' (diminutive))—the non-Anglicized spelling of ''gummy bear.'' *

Hamburger A hamburger, or simply burger, is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically Ground beef, beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles ...

—a sandwich with a meat patty and garnishments. *

Hasenpfeffer Hasenpfeffer is a traditional Dutch and German stew made from marinated rabbit or hare, cut into stewing-meat sized pieces and braised with onions and a marinade made from wine and vinegar. Description ''Hase'' is German for "hare", and ''pfeffe ...

—a type of rabbit (or hare) stew. *

Hefeweizen Wheat beer is a top-fermented beer which is brewed with a large proportion of wheat relative to the amount of malted barley. The two main varieties are German ''Weizenbier'' and Belgian ''witbier''; other types include Lambic (made with wild ...

—an unfiltered wheat beer (containing yeast). *

Helles Helles or hell is a traditional German pale lager beer, produced chiefly in Southern Germany, particularly Munich. The German word ''hell'' can be translated as "bright", "light", or "pale". Flavour profile Helles-style beers typically are f ...

(also Hell)—a pale lager beer. *

Jagertee Jagertee (also Jägertee) is an alcoholic punch historically made by mixing "Inländer-Rum" with spiced black tea. It is served warm and is typically consumed during winter in the cold parts of Central Europe. Although Jagertee is easily made at ...

(from Austrian-Bavarian dialects; German spelling: ''Jägertee'')—an alcoholic beverage made by mixing overproof

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...

with

black tea Black tea, also translated to red tea in various East Asian languages, is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white and green teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than other teas. All five types are made from ...

red wine Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties. The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice from most purple grap ...

, plum brandy,

orange juice Orange juice is a liquid extract of the orange tree fruit, produced by squeezing or reaming oranges. It comes in several different varieties, including blood orange, navel oranges, valencia orange, clementine, and tangerine. As well as vari ...

, and various

spices A spice is a seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garni ...

. *

Kipfel Kifli, kiflice, kifle or kipferl is a traditional yeast bread roll that is rolled and formed into a crescent before baking. It is a common type of bread roll throughout much of central Europe and nearby countries, where it is called by different ...

(also kipferl)—a horn-shaped type of pastry. *

Kellerbier Kellerbier is a type of German beer, a lager, which is typically neither clarified nor pasteurised. The term Kellerbier literally translates as "cellar beer", referring to its cool lagering temperatures. Its recipe probably dates to the Middle ...

—a lager beer, which is typically neither clarified nor pasteurised. *

Kinder Surprise Kinder Surprise (Italian: ''Kinder Sorpresa'' or ''Ovetto Kinder''), also known as Kinder Egg or Kinder Surprise Egg, is a milk chocolate consisting of a chocolate egg surrounding a yellow plastic capsule with a small toy inside. Manufactured by t ...

(also known as a "Kinder Egg")—a chocolate egg containing a small toy, usually requiring assembly (in Germany: ''Überraschungsei'' and ''Kinder-Überraschung''). However, despite being a German word, the

Kinder chocolate Kinder Chocolate ( it, Kinder Cioccolato; "Kinder" is German for “Children") is a brand of chocolate bars produced by Italian multinational confectionery company Ferrero. Kinder Chocolate In Alba, Italy, in 1968, Michele Ferrero, propo ...

brand is actually of Italian origin. *

Kirschwasser Kirschwasser (, ; , German for "cherry water") or kirsch is a clear, colorless brandy traditionally made from double distillation of morello cherries, a dark-colored cultivar of the sour cherry. It is now also made from other kinds of cherries ...

—a spirit drink made from cherries (hard liquor / booze). *

Knackwurst Knackwurst () (in North America sometimes spelled knockwurst () refers to a type of sausage of northern German origin from the mid-16th century. The many available varieties depend on the geographical region of their production. Etymology and ...

—a cooked sausage. *

Kohlrabi Kohlrabi (pronounced ; scientific name ''Brassica oleracea'' Gongylodes Group (horticulture), Group), also called German turnip or turnip cabbage, is a Biennial plant, biennial vegetable, a low, stout cultivar of wild cabbage. It is a cultivar o ...

—a type of cabbage (aka "cabbage turnip"). * Kölsch—a beer style from

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

. *

Kommissbrot Kommissbrot, formerly Kommißbrot, is a dark type of German bread, baked from rye and other flours, historically used for military provisions. Description Kommissbrot is a dark bread made from rye and wheat flours as a sourdough. It has a fi ...

—a dark type of German bread, baked from rye and other flours. *

Lager Lager () is beer which has been brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term "lager" comes from the German for "storag ...

—a beer made with bottom-fermenting yeast and stored for some time before serving (in Germany: an ''Export''). *

Leberwurst Liverwurst, leberwurst, or liver sausage is a kind of sausage made from liver. It is eaten in many parts of Europe, including Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Polan ...

—a pork-liver sausage. *

Liptauer Liptauer is a spicy cheese spread from Slovakian, Austrian and Hungarian cuisine. Liptauer is made with sheep milk cheese, goat cheese, quark, or cottage cheese. Etymology The name is derived from the German name ''Liptau'' for the region of ...

—a spicy

cheese spread Cheese spread is a soft spreadable cheese or processed cheese product. Various additional ingredients are sometimes used, such as multiple cheeses, fruits, vegetables and meats, and many types of cheese spreads exist. Pasteurized process cheese s ...

made with

sheep milk cheese Sheep milk cheese is a cheese prepared from sheep milk. Well-known cheeses made from sheep milk include the Feta of Greece, Roquefort of France, Manchego from Spain, the Pecorino Romano and Ricotta of Italy. Yogurts, especially some forms of s ...

goat cheese Goat cheese, or chèvre ( or ; from French ''fromage de chèvre'' 'goat cheese'), is cheese made from goat's milk. Goats were among the first animals to be domesticated for producing food. Goat cheese is made around the world with a variety ...

, quark, or

cottage cheese Cottage cheese is a curdled milk product with a mild flavor and a creamy, non-homogeneous, soupy texture. It is made from skimmed milk by draining the cheese, as opposed to pressing it to make cheese curd—retaining some of the whey and keep ...

, after Liptau, the German name of

Liptov Liptov () is a historical and geographical region in central Slovakia with around 140,000 inhabitants. The area is also known by the German name ''Liptau'', the Hungarian ''Liptó'', the Latin name ''Liptovium'' and the Polish ''Liptów''. Etymo ...

, a region in northern

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

. *

Märzen ''Märzen'' or ''Märzenbier'' (german: March beer) is a lager that originated in Bavaria. It has a medium to full body and may vary in color from pale through amber to dark brown. It was the beer traditionally served at the Munich Oktoberfest. ...

(also Märzenbier)—a medium to full body lager beer. *

Maß ' (pronounced ) or ' ( Swiss spelling, elsewhere used for dialectal ) is the German word describing the amount of beer in a regulation mug, in modern times exactly . The same word is also often used as an abbreviation for ', the handled drinki ...

—a unit of volume used for measuring beer; typically , but probably evolved from the old Bavarian unit of measure (''Maßeinheit'') called ''Quartl'' (quart). *

Mozartkugel A (; English: "Mozart ball"; ) is a small, round sugar confection made of pistachio, marzipan and nougat that is covered with dark chocolate. It was originally known as , created in 1890 by Salzburg confectioner Paul Fürst (1856–1941) and ...

, (literally "Mozart ball")—a small, round sugar confection made of pistachio

marzipan Marzipan is a confectionery, confection consisting primarily of sugar, honey, and almond meal (ground almonds), sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract. It is often made into Confectionery, sweets; common uses are chocolate-covered marzi ...

, and

nougat Nougat ( , ; ; az, nuqa; fa, نوقا) is a family of confections made with sugar or honey, roasted nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, and macadamia nuts are common), whipped egg whites, and sometimes chopped candied fruit. ...

, covered with dark chocolate. *

Muesli Muesli ( ) is a cold breakfast dish, the primary ingredient of which is rolled oats, which is set to soak overnight and eaten the next morning. Most often, additional ingredients such as grains, nuts, seeds, and fresh or dried fruits, are added ...

—a breakfast cereal. ( Swiss German spelling: ''Müesli'', standard German: ''Müsli'') *

Noodle Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures (for example, Chinese noodles, Filipino noodles, In ...

(from German ''Nudel'')—a type of food; a string of pasta. *

Pfeffernüsse Pfeffernüsse are small spice cookies, popular as a holiday treat with Germans and ethnic Mennonites in North America. Similar cookies are made in Denmark, and The Netherlands, as well. They are called (plural, singular is ) in German, ' (s ...

—peppernuts. *

Pilsener Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the Bohemian city of Plzeň (german: Pilsen), where the world's first pale lager (now known as Pilsner Urquell) was produced in 1842 by Pilsner Urquell Bre ...

(also Pils or Pilsner)—a pale lager beer named after Pilsen, the German name of Plzeň, a city in Western

; contains higher amounts of hops than usual Lager (or ''Export'') beer, and therefore is a tad more bitter. * Powidl—a spread made from plums. * Pretzel (German spelling: ''Brezel'')—a flour- and yeast-based pastry. *

Pumpernickel Pumpernickel (; ) is a typically heavy, slightly sweet rye bread traditionally made with sourdough starter and coarsely ground rye. It is sometimes made with a combination of rye flour and whole rye grains ("rye berries"). At one time it wa ...

—a type of sourdough rye bread, strongly flavored, dense, and dark in color. * Quark—a type of fresh cheese (curd). *

Radler Shandy is beer or cider mixed with a lemon or a lemon-lime flavored beverage. The citrus beverage, often called lemonade, may or may not be carbonated. The proportions of the two ingredients are adjusted to taste but are usually half lemonade ...

—a mixture of beer and

lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored beverage. There are varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In North America and South Asia, cloudy still lemonade is the most common variety. There it is traditionally a homemade drink using ...

. *

Rollmops Rollmops () are pickled herring fillets, rolled into a cylindrical shape, often around a savoury filling. Presentation The filling usually consists of onion, sliced pickled gherkin, or green olive with pimento. Rollmops are often skewered wit ...

—a rolled, pickled herring fillet. *

Saaz Saaz may refer to: *Saaz, the former German name of Žatec, a town in the Czech Republic **Saaz hops, a hop variety used in production of pilsener style beer **DSV Saaz, a former football club in Žatec * ''Saaz'' (film), a 1998 Indian film * Saaz ...

—a

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

hops Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant ''Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to whi ...

named after Saaz, the German name of

Žatec Žatec (; german: Saaz) is a town in Louny District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Ohře river. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monumen ...

, a city in Northwestern

. *

Sauerkraut Sauerkraut (; , "sour cabbage") is finely cut raw cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid formed when the bacteria ferm ...

(also

Kraut ''Kraut'' is a German word recorded in English from 1918 onwards as an ethnic slur for a German, particularly a German soldier during World War I and World War II. Its earlier meaning in English was as a synonym for sauerkraut, a traditional Cen ...

, which in German would mean

cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nb ...

in general)—fermented cabbage. *

Schnapps Schnapps ( or ) or schnaps is a type of alcoholic beverage that may take several forms, including distilled fruit brandies, herbal liqueurs, infusions, and "flavored liqueurs" made by adding fruit syrups, spices, or artificial flavorings to neu ...

(German spelling: ''Schnaps'')—a distilled alcoholic drink (hard liquor, booze). *

Schwarzbier , black beer, is a dark lager that originated in Germany. It has an opaque, black colour with hints of chocolate or coffee flavours, and is generally around 5% ABV. It is similar to stout in that it is made from roasted malt, which gives it its d ...

—a dark lager beer. *

Seltzer Carbonated water (also known as soda water, sparkling water, fizzy water, club soda, water with gas, in many places as mineral water, or especially in the United States as seltzer or seltzer water) is water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas, ...

— carbonated water, a genericized trademark that derives from the German town

Selters Selters is a German brand of natural mineral water sourced from wells in the area of Selters in Hesse, at the Taunus mountains. The water has been known since the Bronze Age and famous as a natural soda water because of its high concentration ...

, which is renowned for its

mineral springs Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produces hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage under ...

. *

Spritzer A spritzer is a tall, chilled drink, usually made with white wine and carbonated water or sparkling mineral water. Fermented simple syrup can be used instead of white wine to keep it sweet but flavor neutral. Origin ''Spritzer'' is derived f ...

(from ''spritzen'' meaning "to spray"; the term is most commonly used in Vienna and its surroundings; in German: ''(Wein-)Schorle'', rarely ''Gespritzter'')—a chilled drink from white wine and soda water. *

Stein Stein is a German, Yiddish and Norwegian word meaning "stone" and "pip" or "kernel". It stems from the same Germanic root as the English word stone. It may refer to: Places In Austria * Stein, a neighbourhood of Krems an der Donau, Lower Aust ...

(from ''Steingut'' meaning "earthenware", referring to the material; in German: ''Steinkrug'', literally earthenware jug)—a large drinking mug, usually for beer. *

Streusel In baking and pastry making, streusel () is a crumbly topping of flour, butter, and sugar that is baked on top of muffins, breads, pies, and cakes.

—a crumb topping on a cake. *

Strudel A strudel (, ) is a type of layered pastry with a filling that is usually sweet, but savoury fillings are also common. It became popular in the 18th century throughout the Habsburg Empire. Strudel is part of Austrian cuisine but is also comm ...

—a filled pastry (e.g.,

Apfelstrudel Apple strudel (german: Apfelstrudel; cz, štrúdl; Yiddish: שטרודל) is a traditional Viennese strudel, a popular pastry in Austria, Bavaria, the Czech Republic, Northern Italy, Slovenia, and other countries in Europe that once belonged to ...

milk-cream strudel The milk-cream strudel (Viennese: ''Millirahmstrudel'', German: ''Milchrahmstrudel'') is a traditional Viennese strudel. It is a popular pastry in Austria and in many countries in Europe that once belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867– ...

). * Süffig—a beverage that is especially light and sweet or palatable; only the latter meaning is connoted with German ''süffig''. *

Tafelspitz Tafelspitz (German ''Tafelspitz'', ''top of the table'') is boiled veal or beef in broth, served with a mix of minced apples and horseradish. It is a classic dish of the Viennese cuisine and popular in all of Austria and the neighboring German s ...

—boiled veal or beef in

broth Broth, also known as bouillon (), is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups, ...

, served with a mix of minced apples and

horseradish Horseradish (''Armoracia rusticana'', syn. ''Cochlearia armoracia'') is a perennial plant of the family Brassicaceae (which also includes mustard, wasabi, broccoli, cabbage, and radish). It is a root vegetable, cultivated and used worldwide ...

. * Weisslacker (also Bierkäse)—a type of cow's milk cheese. * Wiener—a hot dog. * Wiener Schnitzel—a crumbed veal cutlet. *

Wurst Wurst may refer to: *The ground (minced) meat product sausage *The KMFDM compilation album Würst ''Wurst'' is a compilation album by KMFDM. It was released on September 28, 2010.cold cut Lunch meats—also known as cold cuts, luncheon meats, cooked meats, sliced meats, cold meats, sandwich meats, and deli meats—are precooked or cured meats that are sliced and served cold or hot. They are typically served in sandwiches or on ...

s. *

Zwieback Zwieback is a form of rusk eaten in Germany, Poland, Scandinavia, Austria, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey. It is a type of crisp, ...

—a "twice baked" bread; rusk, variants: German hard biscuits; Mennonite double yeast roll

Sports and recreation

Abseil Abseiling ( ; ), also known as rappelling ( ; ), is the controlled descent of a steep slope, such as a rock face, by moving down a rope. When abseiling the person descending controls their own movement down the rope, in contrast to low ...

(German spelling: ''sich abseilen'', a reflexive verb, to rope (''seil'') oneself (''sich'') down (''ab''))—the term "abseiling" is used in the UK and Commonwealth countries, "roping (down)" in various English settings, and "rappelling" in the US. *

Blitz Blitz, German for "lightning", may refer to: Military uses *Blitzkrieg, blitz campaign, or blitz, a type of military campaign *The Blitz, the German aerial campaign against Britain in the Second World War *, an Imperial German Navy light cruiser b ...

(from Blitzkrieg (lightning war))—A team defensive play in American or Canadian football in which the defense sends more players than the offense can block. The term ''Blitzkrieg'' was originally used in Nazi Germany during World War II, describing a dedicated kind of fast and ferocious attack. *

Foosball Table football, also known as foosball, table soccer, futbolito in Mexico, Taca Taca in Chile and Metegol in Argentina is a table-top game that is loosely based on association football. The aim of the game is to move the ball into the opponen ...

—Probably from the German word for

table football Table football, also known as foosball, table soccer, futbolito in Mexico, Taca Taca in Chile and Metegol in Argentina is a table-top game that is loosely based on association football. The aim of the game is to move the ball into the opponen ...

, ''Tischfußball'', although foosball itself is referred to as ''Kicker'' or ''Tischfußball'' in German. ''Fußball'' is the word for soccer in general. *

Karabiner A carabiner or karabiner () is a specialized type of shackle, a metal loop with a spring-loaded gate used to quickly and reversibly connect components, most notably in safety-critical systems. The word is a shortened form of ''Karabinerhaken' ...

(from "Karabinerhaken"; can also mean a

Carbine A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges. The smaller size and lighte ...

firearm in German)—snaplink, a metal loop with a sprung or screwed gate, used in climbing and mountaineering; translates to "riflehook". * Kutte (literally "frock" or "cowl")—a type of vest made out of denim or leather and traditionally worn by

biker Biker or bikie may refer to: * A cyclist, a bicycle rider or participant in cycling sports * A motorcyclist, any motorcycle rider or passenger, or participant in motorcycle sports ** A motorcycle club member, defined more narrowly than all motor ...

metalheads A metalhead is a member of the heavy metal subculture. Metalhead may also refer to: Music * ''Metalhead'' (album), 1999 album by Saxon * "Metalhead", a song by Blotto * "Metalhead", a song from the 2008 Miss Kittin album ''BatBox'' * Metalheadz ...

, and

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

s; in German, the word also refers to the clothes of

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

s. * Kletterschuh—a climbing shoe (mountaineering). * Mannschaft—a German word for a sports team. *

Rucksack A backpack—also called knapsack, schoolbag, rucksack, rucksac, pack, sackpack, booksack, bookbag or backsack—is, in its simplest frameless form, a fabric sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders ...

(more commonly called a

backpack A backpack—also called knapsack, schoolbag, rucksack, rucksac, pack, sackpack, booksack, bookbag or backsack—is, in its simplest frameless form, a fabric sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders ...

American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lan ...

) *

Schuss Schuss (, German for 'shot') was the first (then unofficial) mascot of the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, featuring a stylized cartoon character wearing skis. Schuss was seen on pins and small toys. Afterwards, every Olympic Games has ...

—literally a shot (

ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partia ...

) down a

slope In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a line is a number that describes both the ''direction'' and the ''steepness'' of the line. Slope is often denoted by the letter ''m''; there is no clear answer to the question why the letter ''m'' is use ...

at high speed. *

Turner Turner may refer to: People and fictional characters *Turner (surname), a common surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Turner (given name), a list of people with the given name *One who uses a lathe for turni ...

—a gymnast. *

Turnverein Turners (german: Turner) are members of German-American gymnastic clubs called Turnvereine. They promoted German culture, physical culture, and liberal politics. Turners, especially Francis Lieber, 1798–1872, were the leading sponsors of gy ...

—a

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

or society. * Volksmarsch / Volkssport / Volkswanderung—literally people's march / popular sports (competitive) / people migrating.

Animals

* Dachshund, a dog breed, literally "badger dog" (usually referred to as ''Dackel'' in German usage) *

Doberman Pinscher The Dobermann (; ), or Doberman Pinscher in the United States and Canada, is a medium-large breed of domestic dog that was originally developed around 1890 by Louis Dobermann, a tax collector from Germany.Hamster Hamsters are rodents (order Rodentia) belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven genera.Fox, Sue. 2006. ''Hamsters''. T.F.H. Publications Inc. They have become established as popular small pets. The ...

, a small rodent often kept as a household pet *

Olm The olm or proteus (''Proteus anguinus'') is an aquatic salamander in the family Proteidae, the only exclusively cave-dwelling chordate species found in Europe. In contrast to most amphibians, it is entirely aquatic, eating, sleeping, and br ...

, an exclusively cave-dwelling aquatic salamander found in Europe. * Pomeranian, a dog breed *

Poodle The Poodle, called the Pudel in German and the Caniche in French, is a breed of water dog. The breed is divided into four varieties based on size, the Standard Poodle, Medium Poodle, Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodle, although the Medium Poodle var ...

, a dog breed, from German ''Pudel'' *

Rottweiler The Rottweiler (, ) is a breed of domestic dog, regarded as medium-to-large or large. The dogs were known in German as , meaning Rottweil butchers' dogs, because their main use was to herd livestock and pull carts laden with butchered mea ...

, a dog breed *

Schnauzer A Schnauzer (), plural ''Schnauzer'', lit. translation "snouter") is a dog breed type that originated in Germany from the 14th to 16th centuries. The term comes from the German word for "snout" and means colloquially "moustache",Siskin The name siskin when referring to a bird is derived from an adaptation of the German dialect words ''sisschen'', ''zeischen'', which are diminutive forms of Middle High German (''zîsec'') and Middle Low German (''ziseke'', ''sisek'') words, which ...

, several species of birds (from ''Sisschen'', dialect for Zeisig) *

Spitz Spitz (derived from the German word ''spitz'' 'pointed') is a type of domestic dog characterized by long, thick, and often white fur, and pointed ears and muzzles. The tail often curls over the dog's back or droops. While all of the breeds rese ...

, a dog breed

Philosophy and history

* Antifa, short for "

Antifaschistische Aktion ''Antifaschistische Aktion'' () was a militant anti-fascist organisation in the Weimar Republic started by members of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) that existed from 1932 to 1933. It was primarily active as a KPD campaign during the Ju ...

" (anti-fascist action) *

Lebensraum (, ''living space'') is a German concept of settler colonialism, the philosophy and policies of which were common to German politics from the 1890s to the 1940s. First popularized around 1901, '' lso in:' became a geopolitical goal of Imper ...

, literally "living space"; conquered territory, now exclusively associated with the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

in that historical context. In Germany, the word usually simply means 'habitat' *

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

, short for ''Nationalsozialist'' (National Socialist) *

Neanderthal Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago. While th ...

(modern German spelling: ''Neandertal''), for German ''Neandertaler'', meaning "of, from, or pertaining to the ''Neandertal'' ("Neander Valley")", the site near

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

where early ''Homo neanderthalensis'' fossils were first found. * Schadenfreude, "joy from pain" (literally "harm joy"); delight at the misfortune of others *

Wanderlust Wanderlust is a strong desire to wander or travel and explore the world. Etymology The first documented use of the term in English occurred in 1902 as a reflection of what was then seen as a characteristically German predilection for wandering ...

, the yearning to travel *

Zeitgeist In 18th- and 19th-century German philosophy, a ''Zeitgeist'' () ("spirit of the age") is an invisible agent, force or Daemon dominating the characteristics of a given epoch in world history. Now, the term is usually associated with Georg W. F. ...

, spirit of the time

Society and culture

* Doppelgänger, literally "double-goer", also spelled in English as ''doppelgaenger''; a double or look-alike. However, in English the connotation is that of a ghostly apparition of a duplicate living person. *

Dreck Yiddish words used in the English language include both words that have been assimilated into Englishused by both Yiddish and English speakersand many that have not. An English sentence that uses either may be described by some as Yinglish (or H ...

, literally "dirt" or "smut", but now meaning trashy, awful (through

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

OED The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a co ...

s.v.) * Dummkopf, literally "stupid head"; a stupid, ignorant person, similar to "numbskull" in English *

Fest Fest may refer to: * Fest, Danish/German/Norwegian/Swedish/Breton for party * Fest, a type of festival * The Fest, music festival in Gainesville, Florida * Joachim Fest (1926–2006), German historian and journalist * '' Fest Magazine'', is an E ...

, festival * Fingerspitzengefühl (literally "finger-tip feeling", in German used to mean "empathy", "sensitivity" or "tact") *

Gemütlichkeit ''Gemütlichkeit'' () is a German-language word used to convey the idea of a state or feeling of warmth, friendliness, and good cheer. Other qualities encompassed by the term include cosiness, peace of mind, and a sense of belonging and well ...

, coziness * Gesundheit, literally ''health''; an exclamation used in place of "bless you!" after someone has sneezed * Hausfrau, pejorative: frumpy, petty-bourgeois, traditional, pre-emancipation type housewife whose interests centre on the home, or who is even exclusively interested in domestic matters (colloquial, American English only), sometimes humorously used to replace "wife", but with the same mildly derisive connotation. The German word has a neutral connotation. * Kaffeeklatsch, literally "coffee gossip"; afternoon meeting where people (usually referring to women, particularly ''Hausfrauen'') chitchat while drinking coffee or tea and having cake. *

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

, literally "children's garden"; day-care centre, playschool, preschool *

Kitsch Kitsch ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as naïve imitation, overly-eccentric, gratuitous, or of banal taste. The avant-garde opposed kitsch as melodramatic and superficial affiliation wi ...

, cheap, sentimental, gaudy items of popular culture *

, literally "cabbage"; derogatory term for a German *

Lederhosen Lederhosen (; , ; singular in German usage: ''Lederhose'') are short or knee-length leather breeches that are worn as traditional garments in some regions of German-speaking countries. The longer ones are generally called ''Bundhosen'' or ''Kn ...

(short leather pants for men and boys, often worn with suspenders) *

Meister ''Meister'' means 'master' in German (as in master craftsman, or as an honorific title such as Meister Eckhart). The word is akin to master and maestro. In sports, ''Meister'' is used for the current national, European or world champion (e.g. ...

, "master", also as a suffix: –meister; in German, ''Meister'' typically refers to the highest educational rank of a craftsperson. Note: ''Meister'' does ''not'' refer to the academic ''master'' degree (which is now ''Master'' or formerly ''Magister'', ''Diplom''-engineer and so forth); it is considered, at most, to be the equivalent of a bachelor's degree. *

Oktoberfest The Oktoberfest (; bar, Wiesn, Oktobafest) is the world's largest Volksfest, featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival. It is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is a 16- to 18-day folk festival running from mid- or ...

, Bavarian folk festival held annually in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

during late September and early October * Poltergeist, literally "noisy ghost"; an alleged

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...

phenomenon where objects appear to move of their own accord *

Spiel Internationale Spieltage SPIEL, often called the Essen Game Fair after the city where it is held, is an annual four-day boardgame trade fair which is also open to the public held in October (Thursday to the following Sunday) at the Messe Essen e ...

, literally "game"; an attempt to present and explain a point in a way that the presenter has done often before, usually to sell something. A voluble line of often extravagant talk, "pitch" * uber, über, "over"; used to indicate that something or someone is of better or superior magnitude, e.g. ''

Übermensch The (; "Overhuman") is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. In his 1883 book ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra'' (german: Also sprach Zarathustra), Nietzsche has his character Zarathustra posit the as a goal for humanity to set for itse ...

'' *

Wunderkind A child prodigy is defined in psychology research literature as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to young people who are extraor ...

, literally "wonder child"; a child prodigy

Technology

*–bahn as a suffix, e.g. Infobahn, after ''

Autobahn The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track' ...

'' *

Bandsalat The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Otten ...

, literally "tape salad", refers to a tangle of magnetic tape. *Blücher, a half-boot named after Prussian Field Marshal

Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Fürst von Wahlstatt (; 21 December 1742 – 12 September 1819), ''Graf'' (count), later elevated to ''Fürst'' (sovereign prince) von Wahlstatt, was a Prussian '' Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal). He earne ...

(1742–1819); also a hand in the British card game

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. *

Ersatz An ersatz good () is a substitute good, especially one that is considered inferior to the good it replaces. It has particular connotations of wartime usage. Etymology ''Ersatz'' is a German word literally meaning ''substitute'' or ''replaceme ...

, replacement; usually implying an artificial and inferior substitute or imitation. In German, the word has a neutral connotation, e.g. ''Ersatzrad'' simply means "spare wheel" (not an inferior one). *

Flak Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...

, ''Flugabwehrkanone'', literally: ''air-defence cannon'', for anti-aircraft artillery or their shells, also used in

flak jacket The two components of an obsolete British military flak vest. On the left, the nylon vest. On the right, the several layers of ballistic nylon that provide the actual protection A flak jacket or flak vest is a form of body armor. A flak jacke ...

; or in the figurative sense: "drawing flak" = being heavily criticized * Kraft as in

kraft paper Kraft paper or kraft is paper or paperboard (cardboard) produced from chemical pulp produced in the kraft process. Sack kraft paper (or just sack paper) is a porous kraft paper with high elasticity and high tear resistance, designed for packag ...

, a strong paper used to make sacks; ''Kraft'' in German just means "strength" or "power" *

Plandampf Plandampf (scheduled steam) means the hauling of regular trains by steam locomotives, often in conjunction with rolling stock of the same era. The idea came into being in Germany in the late 1980s. At the beginning, only the additional costs for ...

, running a scheduled train service with historic steam locomotives, popular with railway enthusiasts. *

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

, literally "people's car"; brand of automobile *

Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...

, type of

rigid airship A rigid airship is a type of airship (or dirigible) in which the Aerostat, envelope is supported by an internal framework rather than by being kept in shape by the pressure of the lifting gas within the envelope, as in blimps (also called pres ...

, named after its inventor

Other aspects of everyday life

* erlaubt, allowed, granted; opposite of ''verboten''. * kaput (German spelling: ''kaputt''), out-of-order, broken, dead *

nix Nix or NIX may refer to: Places * Nix, Alabama, an unincorporated community, United States * Nix, Texas, a ghost town in southwestern Lampasas County, Texas, United States * Nix (moon), a moon of Pluto People * Nix (surname), listing people with ...

, from German ''nix'', dialectal variant of ''nichts'' (nothing) * Scheiße, an expression and euphemism meaning "shit", usually as an interjection when something goes amiss *Ur- (German prefix), original or prototypical; e.g. Ursprache,

Urtext Urtext (, from ''ur-'' "primordial" and ''text'' "text", ) may refer to: * Urtext (biblical studies), the text that is believed to precede both the Septuagint and the Masoretic text * Urtext edition An urtext edition of a work of classical mu ...

* verboten, prohibited, forbidden, banned. In English this word has authoritarian connotations.

German terms common in English academic context

German terms sometimes appear in English academic disciplines, e.g. history,

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

, philosophy, music, and the

physical science Physical science is a branch of natural science that studies non-living systems, in contrast to life science. It in turn has many branches, each referred to as a "physical science", together called the "physical sciences". Definition Phy ...

s; laypeople in a given field may or may not be familiar with a given German term.

Academia

Ansatz In physics and mathematics, an ansatz (; , meaning: "initial placement of a tool at a work piece", plural Ansätze ; ) is an educated guess or an additional assumption made to help solve a problem, and which may later be verified to be part of the ...

, educated guess *

Doktorvater A doctoral advisor (also dissertation director, dissertation advisor; or doctoral supervisor) is a member of a university faculty whose role is to guide graduate students who are candidates for a doctorate, helping them select coursework, as well ...

, doctoral advisor *

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

, book prepared by colleagues to honor a scholar, often on an important birthday such as the sixtieth. *

Gedenkschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

, memorial publication * Leitfaden, guideline *

Methodenstreit ''Methodenstreit'' (German for "method dispute"), in intellectual history beyond German-language discourse, was an economics controversy commenced in the 1880s and persisting for more than a decade, between that field's Austrian School and the (Ge ...

, disagreement on methodology * Privatdozent, in German it describes a lecturer without professorship (typically requires German ''Habilitation'' degree). * Professoriat, the entity of all professors of a university *

Wissenschaft ''Wissenschaft'' is a German-language term that embraces scholarship, research, study, higher education, and academia. ''Wissenschaft'' translates exactly into many other languages, e.g. ''vetenskap'' in Swedish or ''nauka'' in Polish, but there i ...

, scholarship, research and study in general

Architecture

* Abwurfdach *

Angstloch An ''angstloch'' (apparently "fear hole", but more probably from the Lat. ''angustus'' "narrow" and German ''Loch'' "hole") was a small hole in the floor of medieval castles and fortresses that led to a cellar or basement room below. The term is ...

, literally "fear hole", a small hole in the floor of a medieval castle or fortress through which a basement room (popularly described as a "dungeon") can be accessed *

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...

, a German style of architecture begun by

Walter Gropius Walter Adolph Georg Gropius (18 May 1883 – 5 July 1969) was a German-American architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in conne ...

in 1918 *

Bergfried ''Bergfried'' (plural: ''bergfriede''; English: ''belfry''; French: ''tour-beffroi''; Spanish: ''torre del homenaje'') is a tall tower that is typically found in castles of the Middle Ages in German-speaking countries and in countries under Germ ...

, a tall tower typical of Central European medieval castles * Biedermeier, of or relating to a style of furniture developed in Germany in the 19th century; in German, it might also derogatively describe a certain old-fashioned, ultra-conservative interior styling. It also describes a certain type of literature in the beginning of the industrialization that represents a longing for the traditional life at that time, with themes of nature and calmness, untouched by the modern world. *

Burgwall Burgwall is a word of German origin, literally meaning "fort rampart", and may refer to: * Gord (archaeology), a typical Slavic settlement type of the High Middle Ages, sometimes called a Slavic burgwall * ''Burgwall'', the local term for a pre- an ...

* Hügelgrab, in archeology, burial mound *

Jugendstil ''Jugendstil'' ("Youth Style") was an artistic movement, particularly in the decorative arts, that was influential primarily in Germany and elsewhere in Europe to a lesser extent from about 1895 until about 1910. It was the German counterpart of ...

, art nouveau *

Passivhaus "Passive house" (german: Passivhaus) is a voluntary standard for energy efficiency in a building, which reduces the building's ecological footprint. It results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or coo ...

, house built to eco-friendly standards, ultra-low energy buildings which need little fuel for heating or cooling *

Pfostenschlitzmauer A ''Pfostenschlitzmauer'' (German for "post-slot wall") is the name for defensive walls protecting Iron Age hill forts and '' oppida'' in Central Europe, especially in Bavaria and the Czech Republic. They are characterized by vertical wooden pos ...

, in archeology, a method of construction typical of prehistoric

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

hillfort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

s of the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

Plattenbau (plural: , german: Platte + Bau, lit=panel/slab' + 'building/ construction) is a building constructed of large, prefabricated concrete slabs. The word is a compound of (in this context: panel) and (building). Such buildings are often found ...

, building made from prefabricated slabs; a typical building style of the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, particularly associated with

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

. *

Schwedenschanze There are numerous prehistorical and early historical ringworks and fortification ramparts in Central Europe that have erroneously, usually colloquially, been given the name Schwedenschanze, which means "Swedish redoubt", a ''schanze'' being a h ...

Sondergotik Sondergotik (Special Gothic) is the style of Late Gothic architecture prevalent in Austria, Bavaria, Swabia, Saxony and Bohemia between 1350 and 1550. The term was invented by art historian Kurt Gerstenberg in his 1913 work ''Deutsche Sondergotik' ...

, a Late Gothic architectural style found in Central Europe between 1350 and 1550 *

Stolperstein A (; plural ; literally 'stumbling stone', metaphorically a 'stumbling block') is a sett-size, concrete cube bearing a brass plate inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution. The project, initia ...

, literally "stumbling stone", metaphorically a "stumbling block" or a stone to "stumble upon", a cobblestone-size () concrete cube bearing a

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...

plate inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution *

Viereckschanze A Viereckschanze (from German "four-corner-rampart"; plural -en) is a rectangular ditched enclosure that was constructed during the Iron Age in parts of Celtic Western Europe. They are widespread in Germany, parts of northern France and also in so ...

, in archaeology, a Celtic fortification of the Iron Age

Arts

Gesamtkunstwerk A ''Gesamtkunstwerk'' (, literally 'total artwork', translated as 'total work of art', 'ideal work of art', 'universal artwork', 'synthesis of the arts', 'comprehensive artwork', or 'all-embracing art form') is a work of art that makes use of al ...

, "the whole of a work of art", also "total work of art" or "complete artwork" *

Gestalt Gestalt may refer to: Psychology * Gestalt psychology, a school of psychology * Gestalt therapy, a form of psychotherapy * Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, an assessment of development disorders * Gestalt Practice, a practice of self-exploration ...

(lit. "shape, figure"), a collection of entities that creates a unified concept (where " the whole is more than the sum of its parts")

Heraldry

Seeblatt (, German for 'lake leaf', plural '; da, søblad; fy, pompeblêd; East Frisian: Pupkeblad) is the term for the stylized leaf of a water lily, used as a charge in heraldry. Background This charge is used in the heraldry of Germany, the Nether ...

Schwurhand The ''Schwurhand'' (, " swear-hand"; ) is a heraldic charge depicting the hand gesture that is used in Germanic Europe and neighboring countries, when swearing an oath in court, in office or in swearing-in. The right hand is raised, with the in ...

Music

* Affektenlehre, the doctrine of the affections in Baroque music theory *

Almglocken The cowbell is an idiophone hand percussion instrument used in various styles of music, such as Latin and rock. It is named after the similar bell used by herdsmen to keep track of the whereabouts of cows. The instrument initially and traditio ...

, tuned cowbells *

Alphorn The alphorn or alpenhorn or alpine horn is a labrophone, consisting of a straight several-meter-long wooden natural horn of conical bore, with a wooden cup-shaped mouthpiece. Traditionally the Alphorn was made of one single piece, or two par ...

, a wind instrument * Augenmusik, eye music * Ausmultiplikation, a musical technique described by Karlheinz Stockhausen *

Blockwerk The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...

, medieval type of church organ featuring only labial pipes *

Crumhorn The crumhorn is a double reed instrument of the woodwind family, most commonly used during the Renaissance period. In modern times, particularly since the 1960s, there has been a revival of interest in early music, and crumhorns are being pla ...

, from German ''Krummhorn'', a type of woodwind instrument *

Fach The German system (; literally "compartment" or "subject of study", here in the sense of "vocal specialization") is a method of classifying singers, primarily opera singers, according to the range, weight, and color of their voices. It is used ...

, method of classifying singers, primarily opera singers, by the range, weight, and color of their voices * Fackeltanz, a kind of polonaise associated with German royal wedding celebrations *

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

, from ''Pfeife'', a small transverse flute often used in military and marching bands *

Flatterzunge Flutter-tonguing is a wind instrument tonguing technique in which performers flutter their tongue to make a characteristic "FrrrrrFrrrrr" sound. The effect varies according to the instrument and at what volume it is played, ranging from cooing soun ...

(literally "flutter tongue"), playing technique for wind instruments * Flugelhorn (German spelling: ''Flügelhorn''), a type of brass musical instrument * Glockenspiel, a percussion instrument *

Heldentenor A heldentenor (; English: ''heroic tenor''), earlier called tenorbariton, is an operatic tenor voice, most often associated with Wagnerian repertoire. It is distinct from other tenor ''fächer'' by its endurance, volume, and dark timbre, which ...

, "heroic tenor" * Hammerklavier, "hammer-keyboard", an archaic term for piano or the name of a specific kind of piano, the

fortepiano A fortepiano , sometimes referred to as a pianoforte, is an early piano. In principle, the word "fortepiano" can designate any piano dating from the invention of the instrument by Bartolomeo Cristofori in 1698 up to the early 19th century. Mo ...

; most commonly used in English to refer to Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata *

Hosenrolle A breeches role (also pants role or trouser role, or Hosenrolle) is one in which an actress appears in male clothing. Breeches, tight-fitting knee-length pants, were the standard male garment at the time these roles were introduced. The theatric ...

, a term for ''male character'', literally "trousers' role" * Kapellmeister, "music director" * Katzenjammer, hubbub or uproar; in German, the term ''Katzenjammer'' could also mean ''hangover''. * Katzenklavier, cat organ, a conjectural instrument employing live cats * Kinderklavier, piano for children *

Klangfarbenmelodie ''Klangfarbenmelodie'' (German for "sound-color melody") is a musical technique that involves splitting a musical line or melody between several instruments, rather than assigning it to just one instrument (or set of instruments), thereby adding c ...

, a term coined by

Arnold Schönberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

regarding harmonic theory *

Konzertmeister The concertmaster (from the German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (U.K.) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (or clarinet in a concert band). After the conductor, the concertmaster is the second-most signifi ...

, concert master * Kuhreihen, song originally used for gathering cows for milking * Leitmotif (German spelling: ''Leitmotiv'') a musical phrase that associates with a specific person, thing, or idea * Lied (pronounced "leet"), "song"; specifically in English, "art song" * Lieder ohne Worte, "songs without words" *

Liederhandschrift ''Liederhandschrift'', German for ''Manuscript of the Songs'', is the German term for a manuscript containing lieder (songs) of the German Middle Ages, dating from the late 12th to the 15th centuries. Of particular importance are the Minnesang manu ...

, a manuscript containing medieval songs * Liederkranz, (originally male) singing club * Liedermacher, singer-songwriter *

Marktsackpfeife The term „Marktsackpfeife“ (literally „market bagpipes“, also known as „German Pipes“, often abbreviated as MSP) commonly refers to a type of bagpipe which has been developed in East Germany at the beginning of 1980s for the specific p ...

, a type of bagpipes *

Meistersinger A (German for "master singer") was a member of a German guild for lyric poetry, composition and unaccompanied art song of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. The Meistersingers were drawn from middle class males for the most part. Guilds The ' ...

, Master-singer *

Mensurstrich (''plural'' ) is a German term used in musical notation to denote a barline that is drawn between staves, but not across them. It is typically seen in modern editions of Medieval and Renaissance vocal polyphony, where it is intended to allow mo ...

, barline that is drawn between staves *

Minnesang (; "love song") was a tradition of lyric- and song-writing in Germany and Austria that flourished in the Middle High German period. This period of medieval German literature began in the 12th century and continued into the 14th. People who w ...

, medieval love poetry * Musikalisches Würfelspiel, a composing technique featuring the use of random number generators, i.e. dice (''Würfel'') * Ohrwurm, catchy tune * Orgelbewegung, a movement of organ building featuring a more baroque sound and organ architecture *

Rauschpfeife Rauschpfeife is a commonly used term for a specific type of capped conical reed musical instrument of the woodwind family, used in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. In common with the crumhorn and cornamuse, it is a wooden double-reed inst ...

, a type of woodwind instrument. * Rückpositiv (also rendered as ''Ruckpositiv'') *

Sängerfest Sängerfest, also Sängerbund-Fest, Sängerfeste, or Saengerfest, meaning singer festival, is a competition of Sängerbunds, or singer groups, with prizes for the best group or groups. Such public events are also known as a Liederfest, or song f ...

, a Central European tradition of music festivals that also spread to North America * Schlager, "a hit" (German ''schlagen'', to hit or beat) *

Schottische The schottische is a partnered country dance that apparently originated in Bohemia. It was popular in Victorian era ballrooms as a part of the Bohemian folk-dance craze and left its traces in folk music of countries such as Argentina ("chotis"Span ...

, literally "Scottish", a folk dance *

Schuhplattler The Schuhplattler is a traditional style of folk dance popular in the regions of Bavaria and Tyrol (southern Germany, Austria and the German speaking regions of northern Italy). In this dance, the performers stomp, clap and strike the soles of th ...

, a regional dance from

Upper Bavaria Upper Bavaria (german: Oberbayern, ; ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany. Geography Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered on the city of Munich, both state capital and seat o ...

and Austria *

Singspiel A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often strophic, or folk-like ...

, German musical drama with spoken dialogue *

Sitzprobe In opera and musical theatre, a ''sitzprobe'' (from the German for ''seated rehearsal'') is a rehearsal where the singers sing with the orchestra, focusing attention on integrating the two groups. It is often the first rehearsal where the orchest ...

, rehearsal of a musical stage work where singers are sitting and without costumes *

Sprechgesang (, "spoken singing") and (, "spoken voice") are expressionist vocal techniques between singing and speaking. Though sometimes used interchangeably, ''Sprechgesang'' is directly related to the operatic ''recitative'' manner of singing (in which ...

and ''Sprechstimme'', forms of musical delivery between speech and singing * Strohbass *

Sturm und Drang ''Sturm und Drang'' (, ; usually translated as "storm and stress") was a proto- Romantic movement in German literature and music that occurred between the late 1760s and early 1780s. Within the movement, individual subjectivity and, in particul ...

, "storm and stress", a brief aesthetic movement in German literature, just before

Weimar Classicism Weimar Classicism (german: Weimarer Klassik) was a German literary and cultural movement, whose practitioners established a new humanism from the synthesis of ideas from Romanticism, Classicism, and the Age of Enlightenment. It was named after ...

, "original text" (of the composer) *

Volksmusik Alpine folk music (german: Alpenländische Volksmusik; German's ''Volksmusik'' means "people's music" or as a Germanic connotative translation, "folk's music") is the common umbrella designation of a number of related styles of traditional folk m ...

, traditional German music * Walzer (Waltz) * Zukunftsmusik, music of the future

=Genres

= * ''

Kosmische Musik Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in West Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electronic music, a ...

'': a

Krautrock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments ...

-associated genre of electronic music pioneered by

Popol Vuh ''Popol Vuh'' (also ''Popol Wuj'' or ''Popul Vuh'' or ''Pop Vuj'') is a text recounting the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ people, one of the Maya peoples, who inhabit Guatemala and the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and ...

* ''

'': German-like English name for a variety of

German rock German rock music (''Deutschrock'') came into its own only by the late 1960s, but spawned many bands spanning genres such as krautrock, Neue Deutsche Welle, heavy metal, punk, and industrial. Rock and roll itself arose in the United States in ...

* '' Neue Deutsche Härte (NDH)'': "New German Hardness"; a genre of

that mixes traditional hard rock with dance-like keyboard parts. Recently it has begun to appear in English. * ''

Neue Deutsche Todeskunst Neue Deutsche Todeskunst (NDT, "New German Death Art") is a musical genre that developed in Germany in the late 1980s. It is credited with establishing the German language in the dark wave movement, although there were already such German bands ...

'': "New German Death Art": a movement within the darkwave and gothic rock scenes * ''

Neue Deutsche Welle Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW, , "New German Wave") is a genre of West German rock music originally derived from post-punk and new wave music with electronic influences. The term was first coined by Dutch radio DJ Frits Spits on the popular nationwid ...

(NDW)'': "New German Wave". A genre of

German music Germany claims some of the most renowned composers, singers, producers and performers of the world. Germany is the largest music market in Europe, and third largest in the world. German classical music is one of the most performed in the world; ...

originally derived from punk rock and

new wave music New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...

. * ''

Neue Slowenische Kunst Neue Slowenische Kunst (; NSK; German: "New Slovenian Art") is a political art collective that formed in Slovenia in 1984, when the Socialist Republic of Slovenia was part of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. NSK's name was chosen to refl ...

'': "New Slovenian Art". An art collective dating back to the 1980s, when

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

was part of

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

. Most prominently associated with the band

Laibach Laibach () is a Slovenian avant-garde music group associated with the industrial, martial, and neo-classical genres. Formed in the mining town of Trbovlje (at the time in Yugoslavia) in 1980, Laibach represents the musical wing of the Neue ...

, named after the German name for Slovenia's capital city,

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

. * ''

Romantische Oper ''Romantische Oper'' () was a genre of early nineteenth-century German opera, developed not from the German Singspiel of the eighteenth-century but from the opéras comiques of the French Revolution. It offered opportunities for an increasingly i ...

'': genre of early nineteenth-century German opera

=Selected works in classical music

= *

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

's ''Das wohltemperierte Klavier'' (''

The Well-Tempered Clavier ''The Well-Tempered Clavier'', BWV 846–893, consists of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach. In the composer's time, ''clavier'', meaning keyboard, referred to a variety of i ...

''); ''Jesus bleibet meine Freude'' (''

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" (or simply "Joy"; German: ''Jesus bleibet meine Freude'') is the most common English title of a piece of music derived from a chorale setting from the cantata ''Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben'', BWV 147 ("Heart and ...

'') *

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...

's ''

Schicksalslied The ''Schicksalslied'' (Song of Destiny), Op. 54, is an orchestrally accompanied choral setting of a poem written by Friedrich Hölderlin and is one of several major choral works written by Johannes Brahms. Brahms began the work in the sum ...

'' ''Song of Destiny'') * Kreisler's '' Liebesleid'' (''Pain of Love''), '' Liebesfreud'' (''Joy of Love") *

Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

's ''

Liebesträume ' (German for ''Dreams of Love'') is a set of three solo piano works (S.541/R.211) by Franz Liszt, published in 1850. Originally the three ' were conceived as lieder after poems by Ludwig Uhland and Ferdinand Freiligrath. In 1850, two versions ap ...

'' (''Dreams of Love'') *

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

's '' Eine kleine Nachtmusik'' (''A Little Serenade''); ''

Die Zauberflöte ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a ''Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that includ ...

'' (''The Magic Flute'') * Gustav Mahler's ''

Kindertotenlieder (''Songs on the Death of Children'') is a song cycle (1904) for voice and orchestra by Gustav Mahler. The words of the songs are poems by Friedrich Rückert. Text and music The original were a group of 428 poems written by Rückert in 1833� ...

'' (''Songs on Dead Children'') *

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

's ''

Winterreise ''Winterreise'' (, ''Winter Journey'') is a song cycle for voice and piano by Franz Schubert ( D. 911, published as Op. 89 in 1828), a setting of 24 poems by German poet Wilhelm Müller. It is the second of Schubert's two song cycles on Müller' ...

'' (''Winter Journey'') *

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

's ''

Dichterliebe ''Dichterliebe'', "A Poet's Love" (composed 1840), is the best-known song cycle by Robert Schumann ( Op. 48). The texts for the 16 songs come from the ''Lyrisches Intermezzo'' by Heinrich Heine, written in 1822–23 and published as part of Heine' ...

'' (''The Poet's Love'') * Richard Strauss's ''

Der Rosenkavalier (''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel ''Les amours du chevalier de Faublas'' ...

'' (''Cavalier of the Rose''); ''

Also sprach Zarathustra ', Op. 30 (, ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra'' or ''Thus Spake Zarathustra'') is a tone poem by Richard Strauss, composed in 1896 and inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical 1883–1885 novel ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra''.Vier letzte Lieder" (''Four last songs'') *

Johann Strauss II Johann Baptist Strauss II (25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (german: links=no, Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed ov ...

's ''

Die Fledermaus ' (, ''The Flittermouse'' or ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874. Background The original ...

'' (''The Bat''); ''

An der schönen blauen Donau "The Blue Danube" is the common English title of "An der schönen blauen Donau", Op. 314 (German for "By the Beautiful Blue Danube"), a waltz by the Austrian composer Johann Strauss II, composed in 1866. Originally performed on 15 Februa ...

'' (''On The Beautiful Blue Danube'') *

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

Die Walküre (; ''The Valkyrie''), WWV 86B, is the second of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). It was performed, as a single opera, at the National Theatre Munich on ...

(''The Valkyrie'');

Götterdämmerung ' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), WWV 86D, is the last in Richard Wagner's cycle of four music dramas titled (''The Ring of the Nibelung'', or ''The Ring Cycle'' or ''The Ring'' for short). It received its premiere at the on 17 August 1876, as ...

(''Twilight of the Gods''); both from his opera cycle "

Der Ring des Nibelungen (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the '' Nibe ...

" (''The Ring of the Nibelung'')

=Carols

= * ''Stille Nacht'': "

Silent Night "Silent Night" (german: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht", links=no, italic=no) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an ...

" * ''

O Tannenbaum "" (; "O fir tree", English: O Christmas Tree) is a German Christmas song. Based on a traditional folk song which was unrelated to Christmas, it became associated with the traditional Christmas tree. History The modern lyrics were written in 1824 ...

'': "O Christmas Tree"

=Modern songs

= * ''

99 Luftballons "99 Luftballons" (german: link=no, Neunundneunzig Luftballons, "99 balloons") is a song by the German band Nena from their 1983 self-titled album. An English-language version titled "99 Red Balloons", with lyrics by Kevin McAlea, was also relea ...

'': "99 Balloons" (English title: "99 Red Balloons") by

Nena Gabriele Susanne Kerner (born 24 March 1960), better known as Nena, is a German singer and songwriter who rose to international fame in 1983 as the lead vocalist of the band Nena (band), Nena with the Neue Deutsche Welle song "99 Luftballons". I ...

* ''

Schrei nach Liebe "Schrei nach Liebe" ("Cry for Love") is a punk rock song by German band Die Ärzte. It is the second track and the first single from their 1993 album '' Die Bestie in Menschengestalt''. It is one of the best known political anthems and anti-fasc ...

'': "Scream for love" by

Die Ärzte Die Ärzte (; ) is a German rock band from Berlin. The band has released 14 studio albums. The group consists of guitarist Farin Urlaub, drummer Bela B and bass player Rodrigo González. All three write and perform their songs. History Ea ...

* ''

Feuer frei! "Feuer frei!" () is a song by German industrial metal band Rammstein. The song was released as the fifth single from their third album '' Mutter''. The title is from the command to start shooting in German military language (literally "fire free ...

'': "Fire at will" (literally, "fire freely!") by

Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, ...

* '' Der Kommissar'': "The Commissioner" by Falco

Theatre

* Theaterpädagogik, "theatre pedagogy", the use of theatre as a means for teaching and learning in non-theatrical areas of study * Verfremdungseffekt, effect of disassociation or alienation

Typography

Fraktur Fraktur () is a calligraphic hand of the Latin alphabet and any of several blackletter typefaces derived from this hand. The blackletter lines are broken up; that is, their forms contain many angles when compared to the curves of the Antiqu ...

, a style of

blackletter Blackletter (sometimes black letter), also known as Gothic script, Gothic minuscule, or Textura, was a script used throughout Western Europe from approximately 1150 until the 17th century. It continued to be commonly used for the Danish, Norweg ...

typeface *

Schwabacher The German word Schwabacher (pronounced ) refers to a specific style of blackletter typefaces which evolved from Gothic Textualis (''Textura'') under the influence of Humanist type design in Italy during the 15th century. Schwabacher typesetti ...

, a style of

typeface, from the

Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper Fr ...

n town of

Schwabach Schwabach () is a German city of about 40,000 inhabitants near Nuremberg in the centre of the region of Franconia in the north of Bavaria. The city is an autonomous administrative district (''kreisfreie Stadt''). Schwabach is also the name of th ...

Biology

* Ahnenreihe, line of ancestors * Ahnenschwund, pedigree collapse *

Ahnentafel An ''ahnentafel'' (German for "ancestor table"; ) or ''ahnenreihe'' ("ancestor series"; ) is a genealogical numbering system for listing a person's direct ancestors in a fixed sequence of ascent. The subject (or proband) of the ahnentafel is l ...

, line of ancestors * Anlage in genetics; also used in the sense of

primordium A primordium (; plural: primordia; synonym: anlage) in embryology, is an organ or tissue in its earliest recognizable stage of development. Cells of the primordium are called primordial cells. A primordium is the simplest set of cells capable of ...

in embryology and

temperament In psychology, temperament broadly refers to consistent individual differences in behavior that are biologically based and are relatively independent of learning, system of values and attitudes. Some researchers point to association of temperam ...

in psychology; literal meaning "disposition" or "rudiment" * Aufwuchs, growth * Aurochs (Modern German: ''Auerochse''), urus *

Bauplan A body plan, ( ), or ground plan is a set of morphological features common to many members of a phylum of animals. The vertebrates share one body plan, while invertebrates have many. This term, usually applied to animals, envisages a "bluep ...

, body plan of animals *

Bereitschaftspotential In neurology, the Bereitschaftspotential or BP (German for "readiness potential"), also called the pre-motor potential or readiness potential (RP), is a measure of activity in the motor cortex and supplementary motor area of the brain leading up t ...

, readiness potential *

Edelweiss EDELWEISS (Expérience pour DEtecter Les WIMPs En Site Souterrain) is a dark matter search experiment located at the Modane Underground Laboratory in France. The experiment uses cryogenic detectors, measuring both the phonon and ionization signal ...

, German spelling ''Edelweiß'', ''Leontopodium alpinum'' *

Einkorn Einkorn wheat (from German ''Einkorn'', literally "single grain") can refer either to a wild species of wheat (''Triticum'') or to its domesticated form. The wild form is '' T. boeoticum'' (syn. ''T. m.'' ssp. ''boeoticum''), the domesticated ...

, ''Triticum boeoticum'' or ''Triticum monococcum'', a type of wheat *

Krummholz ''Krummholz'' (german: krumm, "crooked, bent, twisted" and ''Holz'', "wood") — also called ''knieholz'' ("knee timber") — is a type of stunted, deformed vegetation encountered in the subarctic and subalpine tree line landscapes, shaped b ...

, crooked or bent wood due to growth conditions of trees and bushes *

Lagerstätte A Lagerstätte (, from ''Lager'' 'storage, lair' '' Stätte'' 'place'; plural ''Lagerstätten'') is a sedimentary deposit that exhibits extraordinary fossils with exceptional preservation—sometimes including preserved soft tissues. These f ...

, repository; sedimentary deposit rich in fossils *

Lammergeier The bearded vulture (''Gypaetus barbatus''), also known as the lammergeier and ossifrage, is a very large bird of prey and the only member of the genus ''Gypaetus''. Traditionally considered an Old World vulture, it actually forms a separate m ...

or ''lammergeyer'' (German: ''Lämmergeier'', also ''Bartgeier''), the bearded vulture * Marmorkrebs, the marbled crayfish *

Molosser The Molossus ( el, Μολοσσός, Molossós; also known as the Molossian hound, Epirus mastiff) was a breed of dog from Ancient Greece. History The Molossus were dogs that were kept by the ancient Greek tribe and kingdom of the Molossians, ...

, a type of dog, literally "Molossian", from Molossus, the name of an ancient dog breed which the modern molossers descend from * ''Oberhäutchen'' (often written ''oberhautchen'' in newer literature), the outermost layer of reptile skin; literally "small top skin" (''Häutchen'' is the diminutive of ''Haut'', the German word for "skin") *

Schreckstoff In 1938, the Austrian ethologist Karl von Frisch made his first report on the existence of the chemical alarm signal known as ''Schreckstoff'' (fright substance) in minnows. An alarm signal is a response produced by an individual, the “sender” ...

(lit. "scare stuff"), a chemical alarm signal emitted by fish *

Spitzenkörper The Spitzenkörper (German for pointed body, SPK) is a structure found in fungal hyphae that is the organizing center for hyphal growth and morphogenesis. It consists of many small vesicles and is present in growing hyphal tips, during spore ger ...

, structure important in hyphal growth *

Spreite Spreite, meaning Lamina (leaf), leaf-blade in German (or spreiten, the plural form in German language, German) is a stacked, curved, layered structure that is characteristic of certain trace fossils. They are formed by invertebrate organisms tunn ...

, laminae found in trace fossils, going back to animal burrows *

Unkenreflex Unkenreflex – interchangeably referred to as unken reflex (''Unke'' is the German word for the genus of fire-bellied toads) – is a defensive posture adopted by several branches of the amphibian class – including salamanders, toads, and cer ...

, a defensive posture adopted by several branches of the amphibian class *

Waldsterben Forest dieback (also "", a German loan word) is a condition in trees or woody plants in which peripheral parts are killed, either by pathogens, parasites or conditions like acid rain, drought, and more. These episodes can have disastrous conse ...

, forest dieback *

Zeitgeber A zeitgeber () is any external or environmental cue that entrains or synchronizes an organism's biological rhythms, usually naturally occurring and serving to entrain to the Earth's 24-hour light/dark and 12-month cycles. History The term ' (; ) ...

(chronobiology), external clue that helps to synchronize the internal body clock *

Zugunruhe ''Zugunruhe'' ( /ˈ tsuːk:ʊnʁuːə/; German: suːk:ʊnʁuːə; lit. 'migration-anxiety') is the experience of migratory restlessness. Ethology In ethology, ''Zugunruhe'' describes anxious behavior in migratory animals, especially in bird ...

(ornithology), pre-migration anxiety in birds and other migratory animals

Chemistry

* Aufbau principle (

physical chemistry Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistica ...

) (German spelling: ''Aufbauprinzip'') *

Bismuth Bismuth is a chemical element with the symbol Bi and atomic number 83. It is a post-transition metal and one of the pnictogens, with chemical properties resembling its lighter group 15 siblings arsenic and antimony. Elemental bismuth occurs ...

Darmstadtium Darmstadtium is a chemical element with the symbol Ds and atomic number 110. It is an extremely radioactive synthetic element. The most stable known isotope, darmstadtium-281, has a half-life of approximately 12.7 seconds. Darmstadtium was firs ...

Einsteinium Einsteinium is a synthetic element with the symbol Es and atomic number 99. Einsteinium is a member of the actinide series and it is the seventh transuranium element. It was named in honor of Albert Einstein. Einsteinium was discovered as a com ...

* Entgegen and its opposite '' zusammen'' (

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, J.; ...

) * Gemisch (chemistry: a randomized mixture of components) *

Gerade In physics, a parity transformation (also called parity inversion) is the flip in the sign of ''one'' spatial coordinate. In three dimensions, it can also refer to the simultaneous flip in the sign of all three spatial coordinates (a point refle ...

and its opposite ''ungerade'' (

quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, ...

) *

Knallgas Oxyhydrogen is a mixture of hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) gases. This gaseous mixture is used for torches to process refractory materials and was the first gaseous mixture used for welding. Theoretically, a ratio of 2:1 hydrogen:oxygen is enough ...

Reaction *

Kugelrohr A Kugelrohr (German for "ball tube") is a short-path vacuum distillation apparatus typically used to distill relatively small amounts of compounds with high boiling points (usually greater than 300 °C) under greatly reduced pressure. Design ...

, distillation apparatus *

Meitnerium Meitnerium is a synthetic chemical element with the symbol Mt and atomic number 109. It is an extremely radioactive synthetic element (an element not found in nature, but can be created in a laboratory). The most stable known isotope, meitnerium-2 ...

Mischmetall Mischmetal (from german: Mischmetall – "mixed metal") is an alloy of rare-earth elements. It is also called cerium mischmetal, or rare-earth mischmetal. A typical composition includes approximately 55% cerium, 25% lanthanum, and 15 ...

(lit. "mixed metal"), alloy *

Roentgenium Roentgenium is a chemical element with the symbol Rg and atomic number 111. It is an extremely radioactive synthetic element that can be created in a laboratory but is not found in nature. The most stable known isotope, roentgenium-282, has a h ...

Umpolung In organic chemistry, umpolung () or polarity inversion is the chemical modification of a functional group with the aim of the reversal of polarity of that group. This modification allows secondary reactions of this functional group that would ot ...

(

) * Wolfram *

Zwitterion In chemistry, a zwitterion ( ; ), also called an inner salt or dipolar ion, is a molecule that contains an equal number of positively- and negatively-charged functional groups. : With amino acids, for example, in solution a chemical equilibrium wil ...

Chess

* Allumwandlung *

Blitz chess Fast chess, also known as Speed chess, is a type of chess in which each player is given less time to consider their moves than normal tournament time controls allow. Fast chess is subdivided, by decreasing time controls, into rapid chess, blitz ...

, from German ''Blitzschach'', literally "lightning chess", also known as

Fast chess Fast chess, also known as Speed chess, is a type of chess in which each player is given less time to consider their moves than normal tournament time controls allow. Fast chess is subdivided, by decreasing time controls, into rapid chess, blitz ...

* Fingerfehler: slip of the finger * Kibitz, from German '' Kiebitzer'', a spectator making comments on the game that can be heard by the players * Luft * Patzer * Sitzfleisch: patience during slow play * Zeitnot *

Zugzwang Zugzwang (German for "compulsion to move", ) is a situation found in chess and other turn-based games wherein one player is put at a disadvantage because of their obligation to make a move; a player is said to be "in zugzwang" when any legal move ...

* Zwischenschach *

Zwischenzug The zwischenzug (German language, German: , "intermediate move") is a chess tactic in which a player, instead of playing the expected move (commonly a ), first interposes another move posing an immediate threat that the opponent must answer, and ...

Economics

* Dollar (German ''Thaler'', cs, tolar), from ''Joachimsthal'' ( cs,

Jáchymov Jáchymov (); german: Sankt Joachimsthal or ''Joachimsthal'') is a spa town in Karlovy Vary District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,300 inhabitants. The historical core of the town from the 16th century is we ...

), name for the silver coin minted in

in the 16th century in Joachimsthal (through Dutch ''(Rijks)daalder'') *

Energiewende The ''Energiewende'' (; ) is the ongoing transition by Germany to a low carbon, environmentally sound, reliable, and affordable energy supply. The new system intends to rely heavily on renewable energy (particularly wind, photovoltaics, and ...

, stands for Energy transition *

Freigeld As part of the theory of Freiwirtschaft, Freigeld ('free money', ) is a monetary (or exchange) unit proposed by Silvio Gesell. Properties Freigeld has several special properties: * It is maintained by a monetary authority to be ''spending- ...

Freiwirtschaft (German language, German for "free economy") is an economic idea founded by Silvio Gesell in 1916. He called it ' (natural economic order). In 1932, a group of Swiss businessmen used his ideas to found the WIR Bank (WIR). Structure Freiwirtschaft ...

* Hacksilber, a type of

commodity money Commodity money is money whose value comes from a commodity of which it is made. Commodity money consists of objects having value or use in themselves (intrinsic value) as well as their value in buying goods. This is in contrast to representati ...

* Heller (German also ''Häller''), from '' Hall am Kocher'', name for the coin *K: In economics, the letter K, from the German word ''Kapital'', is used to denote Capital *

Lumpenproletariat In Marxist theory, the ''Lumpenproletariat'' () is the underclass devoid of class consciousness. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels coined the word in the 1840s and used it to refer to the unthinking lower strata of society exploited by reactionary ...

Mittelstand commonly refers to a group of stable business enterprises in Germany, Austria and Switzerland that have proved successful in enduring economic change and turbulence. The term is difficult to translate and may cause confusion for non-Germans. It ...

Takt Takt time, or simply Takt, is a manufacturing term to describe the required product assembly duration that is needed to match the demand. Often confused with cycle time, takt time is a tool used to design work and it measures the average time in ...

Wirtschaftswunder The ''Wirtschaftswunder'' (, "economic miracle"), also known as the Miracle on the Rhine, was the rapid reconstruction and development of the economies of West Germany and Austria after World War II (adopting an ordoliberalism-based social ma ...

Geography

Hinterland Hinterland is a German word meaning "the land behind" (a city, a port, or similar). Its use in English was first documented by the geographer George Chisholm in his ''Handbook of Commercial Geography'' (1888). Originally the term was associated ...

Inselberg An inselberg or monadnock () is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. In Southern Africa a similar formation of granite is known as a koppie, a ...

Knickpoint In geomorphology, a knickpoint or nickpoint is part of a river or channel where there is a sharp change in channel slope, such as a waterfall or lake. Knickpoints reflect different conditions and processes on the river, often caused by previous ...

(German ''Knickpunkt'', from ''knicken'' "to bend sharply, fold, kink"), a point where the slope of a river changes suddenly *

Massenerhebung effect The Massenerhebung effect (German for "mountain mass elevation") describes variation in the tree line based on mountain size and location. In general, mountains surrounded by large ranges will tend to have higher tree lines than more isolated mount ...

Mitteleuropa (), meaning Middle Europe, is one of the German terms for Central Europe. The term has acquired diverse cultural, political and historical connotations. University of Warsaw, Johnson, Lonnie (1996) ''Central Europe: Enemies, Neighbors, Friends'p ...

Mittelgebirge A ''Mittelgebirge'' (German: ''Mittel'', "middle/medium"; ''Gebirge'', "mountain range") is a type of relatively low mountain range or highland area typical of the geography of central Europe, especially central and southern Germany; it refers to ...

* Schlatt (also ''Flatt''; from Low German) * Steilhang (steep slope or face) *

Thalweg In geography and fluvial geomorphology, a thalweg or talweg () is the line of lowest elevation within a valley or watercourse. Under international law, a thalweg is the middle of the primary navigable channel of a waterway that defines the boun ...

(written "Talweg" in modern German)

Geology

Aufeis Aufeis, ( ), (German for "ice on top") is a sheet-like mass of layered ice that forms from successive flows of ground or river water during freezing temperatures. This form of ice is also called overflow, icings, or the Russian term, naled. The t ...

, sheets of layered ice formed from groundwater discharge or upwelling of river water behind ice dams during freezing temperatures *

Bergschrund A bergschrund (from the German for ''mountain cleft'') or rimaye (from French; ) is a crevasse that forms where moving glacier ice separates from the stagnant ice or firn above. It is often a serious obstacle for mountaineers, who sometimes ab ...

Dreikanter A Dreikanter is a type of ventifact that typically forms in desert or periglacial environments due to the abrasive action of blowing sand. Dreikanters exhibit a characteristic pyramidal shape with three wind-abraded facets. The word ''Dreikante ...

* Fenster, also known as a ''window'', a geologic structure formed by erosion or normal faulting on a thrust system *

Firn __NOTOC__ Firn (; from Swiss German "last year's", cognate with ''before'') is partially compacted névé, a type of snow that has been left over from past seasons and has been recrystallized into a substance denser than névé. It is ice that ...

Flysch Flysch () is a sequence of sedimentary rock layers that progress from deep-water and turbidity flow deposits to shallow-water shales and sandstones. It is deposited when a deep basin forms rapidly on the continental side of a mountain building epi ...

Gneiss Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures an ...

(German ''Gneis'') * Graben * Horst *

Karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

* Loess (german: link=no, Löss) *

Randkluft A randkluft (from the German for ''marginal cleft/crevasse'') or rimaye (from the same French ) is the headwall gap between a glacier or snowfield and the adjacent rock face at the back of the cirqueWhittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical ...

, gap between the rock face and the side of the glacier *

Rille Rille (German for 'groove') is typically used to describe any of the long, narrow depressions in the surface of the Moon that resemble channels. The Latin term is ''rima'', plural ''rimae''. Typically, a rille can be several kilometers wi ...

(German: "groove"), a type of feature of the surface of the Moon * Sturzstrom * Urstrom, a large glacial age river in Northern Europe *

Urstromtal An ''urstromtal'' (plural: ''Urstromtäler'') is a type of broad glacial valley, for example, in northern Central Europe, that appeared during the ice ages, or individual glacial periods of an ice age, at the edge of the Scandinavian ice sheet and ...

Minerals including: *

Feldspar Feldspars are a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, also containing other cations such as sodium, calcium, potassium, or barium. The most common members of the feldspar group are the ''plagioclase'' (sodium-calcium) feldsp ...

(German ''Feldspat'') *

Hornblende Hornblende is a complex inosilicate series of minerals. It is not a recognized mineral in its own right, but the name is used as a general or field term, to refer to a dark amphibole. Hornblende minerals are common in igneous and metamorphic rock ...

Meerschaum Sepiolite, also known in English by the German name meerschaum ( , ; ; meaning " sea foam"), is a soft white clay mineral, often used to make tobacco pipes (known as meerschaum pipes). A complex magnesium silicate, a typical chemical formula ...

Moldavite Moldavite ( cs, vltavín) is a forest green, olive green or blue greenish vitreous silica projectile glass formed by a meteorite impact in southern Germany (Nördlinger Ries Crater) that occurred about 15 million years ago. It is a type of tekti ...

(German ''Moldavit''), from ''Moldau'' ( cs,

Vltava Vltava ( , ; german: Moldau ) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice and Prague, and finally merging with the Labe at ...

) *

Quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...

(German ''Quarz'') *

Wolframite Wolframite is an iron, manganese, and tungstate mineral with a chemical formula of that is the intermediate between ferberite ( rich) and hübnerite ( rich). Along with scheelite, the wolframite series are the most important tungsten ore mineral ...

(German ''Wolframit'') *

Zinnwaldite Zinnwaldite, K Li Fe Al(Al Si3) O10(O H, F)2, potassium lithium iron aluminium silicate hydroxide fluoride is a silicate mineral in the mica group. The IMA status is as a series between siderophyllite (KFe2Al(Al2Si2)O10(F,OH)2) and polylithion ...

(German ''Zinnwaldit''), from '' Zinnwald'' (Czech: Cínovec)

History

(Some terms are listed in multiple categories if they are important to each.)

The Third Reich

Other historical periods

Alltagsgeschichte ''Alltagsgeschichte'' (German; and sometimes translated as 'history of everyday life') is a form of social history that was emerged among West German historians in the 1980s. It was founded by Alf Lüdtke (1943–2019) and Hans Medick (born 1939 ...

, literally "everyday history" a type of

microhistory Microhistory is a genre of history that focuses on small units of research, such as an event, community, individual or a settlement. In its ambition, however, microhistory can be distinguished from a simple case study insofar as microhistory aspires ...

* Aufklarung, in German: ''Aufklärung'', "enlightenment", short for ''Zeitalter der Aufklärung'', "age of enlightenment" * Biedermeier, era in early 19th century Germany *

Chaoskampf Chaos ( grc, χάος, kháos) is the mythological void state preceding the creation of the universe (the cosmos) in Greek creation myths. In Christian theology, the same term is used to refer to the gap or the abyss created by the separation ...

(mythology) *

Diktat A diktat (german: label=from German, Diktat, ) is a statute, harsh penalty or settlement imposed upon a defeated party by the victor, or a dogmatic decree. The term has acquired a pejorative sense, to describe a set of rules dictated by a foreign p ...

Gründerzeit (; "founders' period") was the economic phase in 19th-century Germany and Austria before the great stock market crash of 1873. In Central Europe, the age of industrialisation had been taking place since the 1840s. That period is not precisely ...

, the period in German history of great artistic and economic developments *

Junker Junker ( da, Junker, german: Junker, nl, Jonkheer, en, Yunker, no, Junker, sv, Junker ka, იუნკერი (Iunkeri)) is a noble honorific, derived from Middle High German ''Juncherre'', meaning "young nobleman"Duden; Meaning of Junke ...

* Kaiser, "emperor" (derived from the title "

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caes ...

") *

Kleinstaaterei In the history of Germany, (, ''"small-state -ery"'') is a German word used, often pejoratively, to denote the territorial fragmentation during the Holy Roman Empire (especially after the end of the Thirty Years' War), and during t ...

, the territorial fragmentation of

Germany in the early modern period The German-speaking states of the early modern period (c. 1500–1800) were divided politically and religiously. Religious tensions between the states comprising the Holy Roman Empire had existed during the preceding period of the Late Middle Ag ...

* Kulturgeschichte * Kulturkampf, literally the 'struggle for culture'; Otto von Bismarck's campaign for

secularity Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...

which mostly went against Catholics in the newly formed German state, ostensibly a result of Bismarck's suspicion of Catholic loyalty *

Kulturkreis The (roughly, "culture circle" or "cultural field") school was a central idea of the early 20th-century German school of anthropology that sought to redirect the discipline away from the quest for an underlying, universal human nature toward a c ...

, a theory in anthropology and ethnology *

Kulturkugel In cultural anthropology and cultural geography, cultural diffusion, as conceptualized by Leo Frobenius in his 1897/98 publication ''Der westafrikanische Kulturkreis'', is the spread of culture, cultural items—such as ideas, fashion, styles, rel ...

, literally "culture bullet" or "cultural bullet", a

neologism A neologism Greek νέο- ''néo''(="new") and λόγος /''lógos'' meaning "speech, utterance"] is a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not been fully accepted int ...

coined by archaeologist J. P. Mallory for his model of cultural diffusion *

Landflucht Landflucht (, "flight from the land") refers to the mass migration of peasants into the cities that occurred in Germany (and throughout much of Europe) in the late 19th century. Etymology The word ''landflucht'' has some negative connotations, as ...

* Landnahme *

Nordpolitik Nordpolitik (German for "Northern Policy") was the signature foreign policy of South Korean president Roh Tae-woo. The policy guided South Korean efforts to reach out to the traditional allies of North Korea, with the goal of normalized relations ...

Ostflucht The ''Ostflucht'' (; "flight from the East") was the migration of Germans, in the later 19th century and early 20th century, from areas which were then eastern parts of Germany to more industrialized regions in central and western Germany. The ...

Ostpolitik ''Neue Ostpolitik'' (German for "new eastern policy"), or ''Ostpolitik'' for short, was the normalization of relations between the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, or West Germany) and Eastern Europe, particularly the German Democratic Republ ...

Ostalgie In German culture, ''Ostalgie'' () is nostalgia for aspects of life in Communist East Germany. It is a portmanteau of the German words '' Ost'' (east) and '' Nostalgie'' (nostalgia). Its anglicised equivalent, ostalgia (rhyming with "nostalgia ...

(nostalgia for the former

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...

, specifically for the GDR) *

Perserschutt The Perserschutt, a German term meaning "Persian debris" or "Persian rubble", refers to the bulk of architectural and votive sculptures that were damaged by the invading Persian army of Xerxes I on the Acropolis of Athens in 480 BC, in the Destruc ...

, "Persian rubble", sculptures that were damaged by the invading Persian army on the Acropolis of Athens in 480 BC * Quellenforschung, "research of sources", the study of the sources of, or influences upon, a literary work * Regenbogenschüsselchen, a type of prehistoric gold coin of the Celtic Iron Age *

Realpolitik ''Realpolitik'' (; ) refers to enacting or engaging in diplomatic or political policies based primarily on considerations of given circumstances and factors, rather than strictly binding itself to explicit ideological notions or moral and ethical ...

(political science: "real politics"); usually implies the way politics really works, i.e. via the influence of power and money, rather than a principled approach that the public might expect to be aligned with a party's or nation's values, or rather than a political party's given interpretation. * Reichstag (Imperial Diet; see Reichstag building, Imperial Diet, Reichstag, and the

Reichstag of the Weimar Republic The Reichstag of the Weimar Republic (1919–1933) was the lower house of Germany's parliament; the upper house was the Reichsrat, which represented the states. The Reichstag convened for the first time on 24 June 1920, taking over from the Wei ...

) * Sammlungspolitik *

Sippe ''Sippe'' is German for " clan, kindred, extended family" ( Frisian ''Sibbe'', Norse ''Sifjar''). It continues a Proto-Germanic term ''*sebjō'', which referred to a band or confederation bound by a treaty or oath, not primarily restricted to b ...

, an ancient Germanic clan *

Urmonotheismus The term ''Urmonotheismus'' (German for " primeval monotheism") or primitive monotheism expresses the hypothesis of a monotheistic '' Urreligion'', from which polytheistic religions allegedly degenerated. This evolutionary view of religious dev ...

Urreligion ''Urreligion'' is a postulated "original" or "oldest" form of religious tradition (the German prefix expressing the idea of "original", "primal", "primitive", "elder", "primeval", or "'"). The concept contrasts with that of organized religion, ...

* Völkerschlacht – the "Battle of the Nations" (that is, the Battle of Leipzig, 1813) *

Völkerwanderung The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...

– the migration (and invasions) of the Germanic peoples in the 4th century *

Weltpolitik ''Weltpolitik'' (, "world politics") was the imperialist foreign policy adopted by the German Empire during the reign of Emperor Wilhelm II. The aim of the policy was to transform Germany into a global power. Though considered a logical conseq ...

– the politics of global domination; contemporarily, "the current climate in

global politics Global politics, also known as world politics, names both the discipline that studies the political and economic patterns of the world and the field that is being studied. At the centre of that field are the different processes of political globa ...

". * Wunderkammer, a cabinet of curiosities

Military terms

* Blitzkrieg (literally "lightning war") *

(''Flugabwehrkanone''), anti-aircraft gun (for derived meanings see under Other aspects of everyday life) * Fliegerhorst, another word for a military airport (Horst = predator bird's nest) *

, a carbine (a firearm). For the climbing hardware, see

carabiner A carabiner or karabiner () is a specialized type of shackle, a metal loop with a spring-loaded gate used to quickly and reversibly connect components, most notably in safety-critical systems. The word is a shortened form of ''Karabinerhaken'' ...

above *

Kriegsspiel ''Kriegsspiel'' is a genre of wargaming developed by the Prussian Army in the 19th century to teach battlefield tactics to officers. The word ''Kriegsspiel'' literally means "wargame" in German, but in the context of the English language it ref ...

, in English also written ''Kriegspiel'', war game (different meanings) *

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

, air force (since WW II, with

and the earlier

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

using the term ''

Luftstreitkräfte The ''Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte'' (, German Air Force)—known before October 1916 as (Flyer Troops)—was the air arm of the Imperial German Army. In English-language sources it is usually referred to as the Imperial German Air Service, alth ...

'' instead for their air services) *

Panzer This article deals with the tanks (german: panzer) serving in the German Army (''Deutsches Heer'') throughout history, such as the World War I tanks of the Imperial German Army, the interwar and World War II tanks of the Nazi German Wehrmacht ...

refers to

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engi ...

s and other armored military vehicles, or formations of such vehicles *

Panzerfaust The ''Panzerfaust'' (, "armour fist" or "tank fist", plural: ''Panzerfäuste'') was a development family of single-shot man-portable anti-tank systems developed by Nazi Germany during World War II. The weapons were the first single-use light an ...

, "tank fist": anti-tank weapon, a small one-man launcher and projectile. * Strafe, punishment, extracted from the slogan ''

Gott strafe England "''Gott strafe England''" was an anti-British slogan used by the German Army during World War I. The phrase literally means "May God punish England". It was created by the German-Jewish poet Ernst Lissauer (1882–1937), who also wrote the poe ...

'' (May God punish England) *

U-Boot U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

(abbreviated form of ''Unterseeboot'' – submarine, but commonly called ''U-Boot'' in Germany as well) *

Vernichtungsgedanke , literally meaning "concept of annihilation" in German and generally taken to mean "the concept of fast annihilation of enemy forces", is a tactical doctrine dating back to Frederick the Great. It emphasizes rapid, fluid movement to unbalance an ...

(thought of annihilation)

Linguistics

Ablaut In linguistics, the Indo-European ablaut (, from German '' Ablaut'' ) is a system of apophony (regular vowel variations) in the Proto-Indo-European language (PIE). An example of ablaut in English is the strong verb ''sing, sang, sung'' and its ...

Abstandsprache In sociolinguistics, an abstand language is a language variety or cluster of varieties with significant linguistic distance from all others, while an ausbau language is a standard variety, possibly with related dependent varieties. Heinz Kloss in ...

Aktionsart In linguistics, the lexical aspect or Aktionsart (, plural ''Aktionsarten'' ) of a verb is part of the way in which that verb is structured in relation to time. For example, the English verbs ''arrive'' and ''run'' differ in their lexical aspec ...

Ausbausprache In sociolinguistics, an abstand language is a language variety or cluster of varieties with significant linguistic distance from all others, while an ausbau language is a standard variety, possibly with related dependent varieties. Heinz Kloss in ...

Dachsprache In sociolinguistics, an abstand language is a language variety or cluster of varieties with significant linguistic distance from all others, while an ausbau language is a standard variety, possibly with related dependent varieties. Heinz Kloss ...

* Dreimorengesetz, "three-mora law", the rule for placing stress in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

Grammatischer Wechsel In historical linguistics, the German term ' ("grammatical alternation") refers to the effects of Verner's law when they are viewed synchronically within the paradigm of a Germanic verb. Overview According to Grimm's law, the Proto-Indo-European ...

, "grammatical alternation", a pattern of consonant alternations found in Germanic strong verbs and also in Germanic nouns *

Junggrammatiker The Neogrammarians (German: ''Junggrammatiker'', 'young grammarians') were a German school of linguists, originally at the University of Leipzig, in the late 19th century who proposed the Neogrammarian hypothesis of the regularity of sound change. ...

, literally "Young Grammarians", a formative German school of linguists in the late 19th century * Lallname, a pet name based on baby talk, especially in ancient languages of Asia Minor *

Loanword A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because th ...

(ironically not a loanword but rather a

calque In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language wh ...

from German ''Lehnwort'') * Mischsprache, mixed language * Primärberührung, "primary contact", the development of certain consonant clusters (stop consonant + /t/) in

Rückumlaut The Germanic umlaut (sometimes called i-umlaut or i-mutation) is a type of linguistic umlaut in which a back vowel changes to the associated front vowel ( fronting) or a front vowel becomes closer to ( raising) when the following syllable c ...

, "reverse umlaut", a regular pattern of vowel alternation (of independent origin from usual ablaut patterns) in a small number of Germanic weak verbs *

Sitz im Leben In Biblical criticism, () is a German phrase roughly translating to "setting in life". It stands for the context in which a text, or object, has been created, and its function and purpose at that time. The is also used to refer to the social, eth ...

(Biblical linguistics mainly; the study of

pragmatics In linguistics and related fields, pragmatics is the study of how context contributes to meaning. The field of study evaluates how human language is utilized in social interactions, as well as the relationship between the interpreter and the in ...

has a similar approach) * Sprachbund, "speech bond" or"language union", a sociolinguistic term for a group of languages that have become similar because of geographical proximity * , the intuitive sense of what is appropriate in a language *

Sprachraum In linguistics, a sprachraum (; , "language area", plural sprachräume) is a geographical region where a common first language (mother tongue), with dialect varieties, or group of languages is spoken. Characteristics Many sprachräume are separ ...

* Stammbaumtheorie, the tree model of descendance in historical linguistics; also ''Stammbaum'' alone, for a phylogenetical tree of languages * Suffixaufnahme * Umlaut *

Urheimat In historical linguistics, the homeland or ''Urheimat'' (, from German '' ur-'' "original" and ''Heimat'', home) of a proto-language is the region in which it was spoken before splitting into different daughter languages. A proto-language is the r ...

, "original homeland", the area originally inhabited by speakers of a (reconstructed) proto-language * Ursprache, "proto-language" * Verschärfung, "sharpening", several analogous phonetic changes in Gothic, North Germanic and modern Faroese *

Wanderwort A (, 'migrant word', plural ; capitalized like all German nouns) is a word that has spread as a loanword among numerous languages and cultures, especially those that are far away from one another, usually in connection with trade. As such, are ...

, "migratory term/word", a word which spreads from its original language into several others *

Winkelhaken The ''Winkelhaken'' (, "angular hook"), also simply called a hook, is one of five basic wedge elements appearing in the composition of signs in Akkadian cuneiform. It was realized by pressing the point of the stylus into the clay. A single Winkelh ...

, a basic element in the ancient cuneiform script

Literature

Bildungsroman In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood (coming of age), in which character change is import ...

, a form of coming-of-age story *

Knittelvers Knittelvers (also ''Knüttelvers'' or ''Knittel'') is a kind of Germanic verse meter which originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. In Knittelvers, consecutive lines rhyme pairwise (AABB) and each line has four stresses. "Strict" Knittelve ...

, a form of poetry using rhyming couplets *

Künstlerroman A ''Künstlerroman'' (; plural ''-ane''), meaning "artist's novel" in English, is a narrative about an artist's growth to maturity.Werlock, James P. (2010The Facts on File companion to the American short story Volume 2, p.387 It could be classifie ...

, a novel about an artist's growth to maturity *

Leitmotiv A leitmotif or leitmotiv () is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of ''idée fixe'' or ''motto-theme''. The spelling ''leitmotif'' is an anglic ...

, a recurring theme *

Leitwortstil In contemporary literary studies, a theme is a central topic, subject, or message within a narrative. Themes can be divided into two categories: a work's ''thematic concept'' is what readers "think the work is about" and its ''thematic statement'' ...

, a phrase repeated to reinforce a theme * Nihilartikel, a fake entry in a reference work * Sammelband, a set of manuscripts later bound together * Quellenkritik, source criticism *

, an 18th-century literary movement; "storm and stress" in English, although the literal translation is closer to "storm and urge". *

, "original text" *

Vorlage A ''Vorlage'' (; from the German for ''prototype'' or ''template'') is a prior version or manifestation of a text under consideration. It may refer to such a version of a text itself, a particular manuscript of the text, or a more complex manifest ...

, original or mastercopy of a text on which derivates are based * Q, abbreviation for ''Quelle'' ("source"), a postulated lost document in

Biblical criticism Biblical criticism is the use of critical analysis to understand and explain the Bible. During the eighteenth century, when it began as ''historical-biblical criticism,'' it was based on two distinguishing characteristics: (1) the concern to ...

Mathematics and formal logic

(lit. "set down", roughly equivalent to "approach" or "where to begin", a starting assumption) – one of the most-used German loan words in the English-speaking world of science. * "Eigen-" in composita such as

eigenfunction In mathematics, an eigenfunction of a linear operator ''D'' defined on some function space is any non-zero function f in that space that, when acted upon by ''D'', is only multiplied by some scaling factor called an eigenvalue. As an equation, th ...

eigenvector In linear algebra, an eigenvector () or characteristic vector of a linear transformation is a nonzero vector that changes at most by a scalar factor when that linear transformation is applied to it. The corresponding eigenvalue, often denoted ...

eigenvalue In linear algebra, an eigenvector () or characteristic vector of a linear transformation is a nonzero vector that changes at most by a scalar factor when that linear transformation is applied to it. The corresponding eigenvalue, often denoted b ...

eigenform In mathematics, an eigenform (meaning simultaneous Hecke eigenform with modular group SL(2,Z)) is a modular form which is an eigenvector for all Hecke operators ''Tm'', ''m'' = 1, 2, 3, .... Eigenforms fall into the realm ...

; in English "self-" or "own-". They are related concepts in the fields of

linear algebra Linear algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning linear equations such as: :a_1x_1+\cdots +a_nx_n=b, linear maps such as: :(x_1, \ldots, x_n) \mapsto a_1x_1+\cdots +a_nx_n, and their representations in vector spaces and through matrices ...

and

functional analysis Functional analysis is a branch of mathematical analysis, the core of which is formed by the study of vector spaces endowed with some kind of limit-related structure (e.g. Inner product space#Definition, inner product, Norm (mathematics)#Defini ...

. *

Entscheidungsproblem In mathematics and computer science, the ' (, ) is a challenge posed by David Hilbert and Wilhelm Ackermann in 1928. The problem asks for an algorithm that considers, as input, a statement and answers "Yes" or "No" according to whether the state ...

* Grossencharakter (German spelling: Größencharakter) *

Hauptmodul In number theory and algebraic geometry, a modular curve ''Y''(Γ) is a Riemann surface, or the corresponding algebraic curve, constructed as a quotient of the complex upper half-plane H by the action of a congruence subgroup Γ of the modular grou ...

(the generator of a modular curve of genus 0) *

Hauptvermutung The ''Hauptvermutung'' of geometric topology is a now refuted conjecture asking whether any two triangulations of a triangulable space have subdivisions that are combinatorially equivalent, i.e. the subdivided triangulations are built up in the s ...

Hilbert's Nullstellensatz In mathematics, Hilbert's Nullstellensatz (German for "theorem of zeros," or more literally, "zero-locus-theorem") is a theorem that establishes a fundamental relationship between geometry and algebra. This relationship is the basis of algebraic ...

(without apostrophe in German) *

Ideal Ideal may refer to: Philosophy * Ideal (ethics), values that one actively pursues as goals * Platonic ideal, a philosophical idea of trueness of form, associated with Plato Mathematics * Ideal (ring theory), special subsets of a ring considere ...

(originally '' ideale Zahlen'', defined by

Ernst Kummer Ernst Eduard Kummer (29 January 1810 – 14 May 1893) was a German mathematician. Skilled in applied mathematics, Kummer trained German army officers in ballistics; afterwards, he taught for 10 years in a '' gymnasium'', the German equivalent of ...

) * Krull's Hauptidealsatz (without apostrophe in German) *

Möbius band Moebius, Möbius or Mobius may refer to: People * August Ferdinand Möbius (1790–1868), German mathematician and astronomer * Theodor Möbius (1821–1890), German philologist * Karl Möbius (1825–1908), German zoologist and ecologist * Paul ...

(German: ''Möbiusband'') * Positivstellensatz * quadratfrei * Vierergruppe (also known as Klein four-group) *

\mathbb

from (''ganze'') ''Zahlen'' ((whole) numbers), the

integer An integer is the number zero (), a positive natural number (, , , etc.) or a negative integer with a minus sign (−1, −2, −3, etc.). The negative numbers are the additive inverses of the corresponding positive numbers. In the language ...

s *

\mathbb

from ''Körper'' ("field"), used for one of the two basic fields

\mathbb

\mathbb

not specifying which one

Medicine

* Anwesenheit *

Diener A diener is a morgue worker responsible for handling, moving, and cleaning the corpse. In the UK, the equivalent job title is 'Mortuary Assistant', whilst the preparation, evisceration and reconstruction of the deceased is performed by an Anatom ...

, autopsy assistant * Entgleisen * Gedankenlautwerden * Gegenhalten *

Kernicterus Kernicterus is a bilirubin-induced brain dysfunction. The term was coined in 1904 by Christian Georg Schmorl. Bilirubin is a naturally occurring substance in the body of humans and many other animals, but it is neurotoxic when its concentratio ...

(German spelling: ''Kernikterus'') * Kleeblattschädel *

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

, German abbreviation of "Lysergsäurediethylamid" * Mitgehen * Mitmachen *

Mittelschmerz ''Mittelschmerz'' (German: "middle pain") is a colloquial term for "ovulation pain" or "midcycle pain". About 20% of women experience mittelschmerz, some every cycle, some intermittently. Signs and symptoms Mittelschmerz is characterized by lo ...

("middle pain", used to refer to ovulation pain) * Pfropfschizophrenie *

Rinderpest Rinderpest (also cattle plague or steppe murrain) was an infectious viral disease of cattle, domestic buffalo, and many other species of even-toed ungulates, including gaurs, buffaloes, large antelope, deer, giraffes, wildebeests, and warthog ...

* Schnauzkrampf * Sensitiver Beziehungswahn *

Sitz bath A sitz bath or hip bath is a bath in which a person sits in water up to the hips. It is used to relieve discomfort and pain in the lower part of the body, for example, due to hemorrhoids (piles), anal fissures, perianal fistulas, rectal surgery, ...

* Spinnbarkeit * Verstimmung * Vorbeigehen * Vorbeireden * Wahneinfall *

Witzelsucht Witzelsucht ( " joking addiction") is a set of pure and rare neurological symptoms characterized by a tendency to make puns, or tell inappropriate jokes or pointless stories in socially inappropriate situations. It makes one unable to read sarcasm ...

* Wurgstimme

Philosophy

* An sich, "in itself" *

Dasein ''Dasein'' () (sometimes spelled as Da-sein) is the German word for 'existence'. It is a fundamental concept in the existential philosophy of Martin Heidegger. Heidegger uses the expression ''Dasein'' to refer to the experience of being that is p ...

Ding an sich In Kantian philosophy, the thing-in-itself (german: Ding an sich) is the status of objects as they are, independent of representation and observation. The concept of the thing-in-itself was introduced by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, and ...

, "thing in itself" from

Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aest ...

* Geist, mind, spirit or ghost * Gott ist tot!, a popular phrase from

Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his car ...

; more commonly rendered "God is dead!" in English. *

, also from Nietzsche; the ideal of a Superhuman or Overman. *

Weltanschauung A worldview or world-view or ''Weltanschauung'' is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and point of view. A worldview can include natural ...

, calqued into English as "

world view A worldview or world-view or ''Weltanschauung'' is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and point of view. A worldview can include natural ...

"; a comprehensive view or personal philosophy of human life and the universe * Welträtsel, "world riddle", a term associated with Nietzsche and biologist

Ernst Haeckel Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel (; 16 February 1834 – 9 August 1919) was a German zoologist, naturalist, eugenicist, philosopher, physician, professor, marine biologist and artist. He discovered, described and named thousands of new sp ...

concerning the nature of the universe and the meaning of life * Wille zur Macht, "the will to power", central concept of Nietzsche's philosophy

Physical sciences

, an assumption for a function that is not based on an underlying theory * Antiblockiersystem *

Bremsstrahlung ''Bremsstrahlung'' (), from "to brake" and "radiation"; i.e., "braking radiation" or "deceleration radiation", is electromagnetic radiation produced by the deceleration of a charged particle when deflected by another charged particle, typicall ...

literally, "brake radiation", electromagnetic radiation emitted from charge particles stopping suddenly *

Dunkelflaute In the renewable energy sector, a ''dunkelflaute'' (, ) is a period of time in which little or no energy can be generated with wind and solar power, because there is neither wind nor sunlight. In meteorology, this is known as anticyclonic gloom. ...

, a period of time in which little to no energy can be generated with the use of wind and solar power. *

Durchmusterung In astronomy, Durchmusterung or Bonner Durchmusterung (BD) is an astrometric star catalogue of the whole sky, compiled by the Bonn Observatory in Germany from 1859 to 1903. The name comes from ('run-through examination'), a German word used for ...

, the search for celestial objects, especially a survey of stars * Farbzentrum ( Solid-state physics) *

Foehn wind A Foehn or Föhn (, , ), is a type of dry, relatively warm, downslope wind that occurs in the lee (downwind side) of a mountain range. It is a rain shadow wind that results from the subsequent adiabatic warming of air that has dropped most of ...

, also "foehn" (German spelling ''Föhn''), a warm wind which sometimes appears on the northern side of the Alps in south Germany and Austria *

Fusel alcohol Fusel alcohols or fuselol, also sometimes called fusel oils in Europe, are mixtures of several higher alcohols (those with more than two carbons, chiefly amyl alcohol) produced as a by-product of alcoholic fermentation. The word ''Fusel'' is Ge ...

(German: ''Fuselalkohol''), from German ''Fusel'', which refers to low-quality liquor * Gedanken experiment (German spelling: ''Gedankenexperiment''); more commonly referred to as a "thought experiment" in English *

Gegenschein Gegenschein (; ; ) or counterglow is a faintly bright spot in the night sky centered at the antisolar point. The backscatter of sunlight by interplanetary dust causes this optical phenomenon. Explanation Like zodiacal light, gegenschein is ...

, a faint brightening of the night sky in the region of the antisolar point *

and its opposite ''ungerade'' (

) * Graupel, a form of precipitation *

Heiligenschein (; ) is an optical phenomenon in which a bright spot appears around the shadow of the viewer's head in the presence of dew. In photogrammetry and remote sensing, it is more commonly known as the hotspot. It is also occasionally known as Cellin ...

(lit. "halo") *

Hohlraum In radiation thermodynamics, a hohlraum (a non-specific German word for a "hollow space" or "cavity") is a cavity whose walls are in radiative equilibrium with the radiant energy within the cavity. This idealized cavity can be approximated in pra ...

, a radiation cavity used in

thermonuclear weapons A thermonuclear weapon, fusion weapon or hydrogen bomb (H bomb) is a second-generation nuclear weapon design. Its greater sophistication affords it vastly greater destructive power than first-generation nuclear bombs, a more compact size, a lowe ...

design * Kirchweger-Kondensationseinrichtung * Kugelblitz (the German term for

ball lightning Ball lightning is a rare and unexplained phenomenon described as luminescent, spherical objects that vary from pea-sized to several meters in diameter. Though usually associated with thunderstorms, the observed phenomenon is reported to last ...

), in

theoretical physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experim ...

: a concentration of light so intense that it forms an

event horizon In astrophysics, an event horizon is a boundary beyond which events cannot affect an observer. Wolfgang Rindler coined the term in the 1950s. In 1784, John Michell proposed that gravity can be strong enough in the vicinity of massive compact ob ...

and becomes self-trapped * Rocks and minerals like

(German spelling: ''Quarz''),

and

(originally ''Gneis'' and ''Feldspat'' respectively),

* Reststrahlen (lit. "residual rays") * Schiefspiegler, special type of telescope *

Schlieren Schlieren ( ; , ) are optical inhomogeneities in transparent media that are not necessarily visible to the human eye. Schlieren physics developed out of the need to produce high-quality lenses devoid of such inhomogeneities. These inhomogeneiti ...

(from German ''Schliere'' for "streak"), inhomogeneities in transparent material * Sollbruchstelle, predetermined breaking point *

Spiegeleisen Spiegeleisen (literally "mirror-iron", —mirror or specular; —iron) is a ferromanganese alloy containing approximately 15% manganese and small quantities of carbon and silicon. Spiegeleisen is sometimes also referred to as ''specular pig iron' ...

Trommel A trommel screen, also known as a rotary screen, is a mechanical screening machine used to separate materials, mainly in the mineral and solid-waste processing industries.Stessel et al. 1996, pp. 558-568. It consists of a perforated cylindrical d ...

* Umklapp process (German spelling: ''Umklappprozess'') *

Vierbein The tetrad formalism is an approach to general relativity that generalizes the choice of basis for the tangent bundle from a coordinate basis to the less restrictive choice of a local basis, i.e. a locally defined set of four linearly independent ...

, and variations such as ''vielbein'', in

general relativity General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity and Einstein's theory of gravity, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915 and is the current description of gravitation in modern physics ...

Zitterbewegung In physics, the zitterbewegung ("jittery motion" in German, ) is the predicted rapid oscillatory motion of elementary particles that obey relativistic wave equations. The existence of such motion was first discussed by Gregory Breit in 1928 and la ...

Politics

* Befehl ist Befehl *

Berufsverbot is an order of "professional disqualification" under German law. Berufsverbot may be translated into English as "professional ban". A disqualifies the recipient from engaging in certain professions or activities on the grounds of their criminal ...

* Kritik, a type of argument in policy debates *

Machtpolitik Power politics is a theory in international relations which contends that distributions of power and national interests, or changes to those distributions, are fundamental causes of war and of system stability. The concept of power politics pro ...

, power politics * Putsch, overthrow of those in power by a small group, coup d'état. (Although commonly understood and used in contemporary High German, too, the word ''putsch'' originates from Swiss German and is etymologically related to English "push".) *

, "politics of reality": foreign politics based on practical concerns rather than ideology or ethics. *

Rechtsstaat ''Rechtsstaat'' (lit. "state of law"; "legal state") is a doctrine in continental European legal thinking, originating in Dutch and German jurisprudence. It can be translated into English as "rule of law", alternatively "legal state", state of ...

, concept of a state based on law and human rights * Siegerjustiz *

Überfremdung ''Überfremdung'' (pronounced ), literally 'over-foreignization', is a German-language term used in politics to suggest an excess of immigration. The word is a nominalization compounded from '' über'' meaning "over" or "overly" and ''fremd'' mea ...

Vergangenheitsbewältigung ''Vergangenheitsbewältigung'' (, "struggle of overcoming the past" or "work of coping with the past") is a German compound noun describing processes that since the later 20th century have become key in the study of post-1945 German literature, s ...

Psychology

* Aha-Erlebnis (lit. "aha experience"), a sudden insight or

epiphany Epiphany may refer to: * Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight Religion * Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ ** Epiphany season, or Epiph ...

, compare ''

eureka Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...

'' *

Angst Angst is fear or anxiety (''anguish'' is its Romance languages, Latinate cognate, equivalent, and the words ''anxious'' and ''anxiety'' are of similar origin). The dictionary definition for angst is a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insec ...

, feeling of fear, but more deeply and without concrete object *

Eigengrau Eigengrau (German for "intrinsic gray"; ), also called Eigenlicht (Dutch and German for "intrinsic light"), dark light, or brain gray, is the uniform dark gray background color that many people report seeing in the absence of light. The term ''Ei ...

(lit. "intrinsic grey") or also '' Eigenlicht'' (lit. "intrinsic light"), the colour seen by the eye in perfect darkness *

Einstellung effect Einstellung () is the development of a mechanized state of mind. Often called a problem solving set, Einstellung refers to a person's predisposition to solve a given problem in a specific manner even though better or more appropriate methods of so ...

, from ''Einstellung'', which means "attitude" here *

Ganzfeld effect The Ganzfeld effect (from German for "complete field"), or perceptual deprivation, is a phenomenon of perception caused by exposure to an unstructured, uniform stimulation field. The effect is the result of the brain amplifying neural noise in or ...

, from German ''Ganzfeld'' (lit. "complete field"), a phenomenon of visual perception *

Gestalt psychology Gestalt-psychology, gestaltism, or configurationism is a school of psychology that emerged in the early twentieth century in Austria and Germany as a theory of perception that was a rejection of basic principles of Wilhelm Wundt's and Edward ...

(German spelling: ''Gestaltpsychologie''), holistic psychology *

Gestaltzerfall Gestaltzerfall (German for "shape decomposition" or Gestalt decomposition) is a type of visual agnosia and is a psychological phenomenon where delays in recognition are observed when a complex shape is stared at for a while as the shape seems to de ...

(lit. "shape decomposition"), a kind of visual agnosia where a complex, holistic shape (''

'') dissolves into its parts for the perceiver * Haltlose personality disorder, from ''haltlos'' (lit. "without grip"), aimless *

Merkwelt The merkwelt (german: Merkwelt, meaning "way of viewing the world", "peculiar individual consciousness") is a concept in robotics, ethology and biology that describes a creature or android's capacity to view things, manipulate information and synthe ...

, "way of viewing the world", "peculiar individual consciousness" * Schadenfreude, gloating, a malicious satisfaction obtained from the misfortunes of others *

Sehnsucht () is a German noun translated as "longing", "desire", "yearning", or "craving". Some psychologists use the word to represent thoughts and feelings about all facets of life that are unfinished or imperfect, paired with a yearning for ideal alte ...

, a yearning for an ideal alternative * Sorge, a state of worry, but (like ''Angst'') in a less concrete, more general sense, worry about the world, one's future, etc. *

Umwelt In the semiotic theories of Jakob von Uexküll and Thomas A. Sebeok, ''umwelt'' (plural: umwelten; from the German '' Umwelt'' meaning "environment" or "surroundings") is the "biological foundations that lie at the very epicenter of the stu ...

, environment, literally: "surrounding world"; in semiotics, "self-centred world" *

Völkerpsychologie Völkerpsychologie is a method of psychology that was founded in the nineteenth century by the famous psychologist, Wilhelm Wundt. However, the term was first coined by post-Hegelian social philosophers Heymann Steinthal and Moritz Lazarus. Wundt ...

(lit. "folk psychology"), a 19th-20th century cultural-social psychology framework associated with Wilhelm Wundt *

Weltschmerz (; literally "world-pain") is a literary concept describing the feeling experienced by an individual who believes that reality can never satisfy the expectations of the mind, resulting in "a mood of weariness or sadness about life arising from ...

(lit. "world-pain"), a deep feeling of sadness experienced by someone who believes that physical reality can never satisfy the demands of the mind *

(lit. "wonder child"), child prodigy *

(lit. "time-giver"), something that resets the circadian clock found in the suprachiasmatic nucleus

Sociology

Gemeinschaft ''Gemeinschaft'' () and ''Gesellschaft'' (), generally translated as "community and society", are categories which were used by the German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies in order to categorize social relationships into two types. The Gesellschaft ...

, community *

Gesellschaft ''Gemeinschaft'' () and ''Gesellschaft'' (), generally translated as "community and society", are categories which were used by the German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies in order to categorize social relationships into two types. The Gesellschaft ...

, society *

Herrschaft The German term ''Herrschaft'' (plural: ''Herrschaften'') covers a broad semantic field and only the context will tell whether it means, "rule", "power", "dominion", "authority", "territory" or "lordship". In its most abstract sense, it refers ...

, reign * Männerbund, elite male society *

Verstehen ''Verstehen'' (, ), in the context of German philosophy and social sciences in general, has been used since the late 19th century – in English as in German – with the particular sense of the "interpretive or participatory" examination of socia ...

, lit. "understanding", interpretive or participatory examination of social phenomena *

, spirit of the times or age

Theology

* Gattung, genre * Kunstprosa, artistic prose *

(setting in life, context)

German terms mostly used for literary effect

There are a few terms which are recognised by many English speakers but are usually only used to deliberately evoke a German context: *

– particularly common in

British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in ...

and

referring specifically to German motorways. *

Achtung Achtung may refer to: * Achtung, a German word meaning "attention" * '' Achtung! – Auto-Diebe!'', a crime film from 1930 * ''Achtung Baby ''Achtung Baby'' () is the seventh studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel L ...

– lit. "attention" *

Frau ''Honorifics'' are words that connote esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person. In the German language, honorifics distinguish people by age, sex, profession, academic achievement, and rank. In the past, a distinction was ...

and Fräulein – woman and young woman or girl, respectively, in English. Indicating marital state, with Frau – Mrs. and ''Fräulein'' – Miss; in Germany, however, the diminutive ''Fräulein'' lapsed from common usage in the late 1960s. Regardless of marital status, a woman is now commonly referred to as ''Frau'', because from 1972 the term ''Fräulein'' has been officially phased out for being politically incorrect and should only be used if expressly authorized by the woman concerned. *

Führer ( ; , spelled or ''Fuhrer'' when the umlaut is not available) is a German word meaning "leader" or " guide". As a political title, it is strongly associated with the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. Nazi Germany cultivated the ("leader princip ...

(umlaut is usually dropped in English) – always used in English to denote

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

or to connote a fascistic leader – never used, as is possible in German, simply and unironically to denote a (non-fascist) leader or guide (e.g. Bergführer:

mountain guide A mountain guide is a specially trained and experienced professional mountaineer who is certified by local authorities or mountain guide associations. They are considered to be high-level experts in mountaineering, and are hired to instruct or ...

, Stadtführer: city guide

ook Ook, OoK or OOK may refer to: * Ook Chung (born 1963), Korean-Canadian writer from Quebec * On-off keying, in radio technology * Toksook Bay Airport (IATA code OOK), in Alaska * Ook!, an esoteric programming language based on Brainfuck * Ook, th ...

Führerschein: driving licence, Geschäftsführer: managing director, Flugzeugführer:

Pilot in command The pilot in command (PIC) of an aircraft is the person aboard the aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during flight. This would be the captain in a typical two- or three-pilot aircrew, or "pilot" if there is only ...

) *

Gott mit uns ('God with us') is a phrase commonly used in heraldry in Prussia (from 1701) and later by the German military during the periods spanning the German Empire (1871 to 1918), Nazi Germany (1933 to 1945), and the early years of West Germany (1949 ...

– meaning "God be with us", the motto of the Prussian king was used as a morale slogan amongst soldiers in both World Wars. It was bastardized as "Got mittens" by American and British soldiers, and is usually used nowadays, because of the German defeat in both wars, derisively to mean that wars are not won on religious grounds. * Hände hoch – "hands up" * Herr – in modern German either the equivalent of Mr. (Mister), to address an adult man, or "master" over something or someone (e.g. ''Sein eigener Herr sein'': to be his own master). Derived from the adjective ''hehr'', meaning "honourable" or "senior", it was historically a nobleman's title, equivalent to "Lord". (''Herr der Fliegen'' is the German title of ''

Lord of the Flies ''Lord of the Flies'' is a 1954 novel by the Nobel Prize-winning British author William Golding. The plot concerns a group of British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves. Themes ...

''.) In a religious context it refers to God. *

Ich bin ein Berliner "" (; "I am a Berliner") is a speech by United States President John F. Kennedy given on June 26, 1963, in West Berlin. It is one of the best-known speeches of the Cold War and among the most famous anti-communist speeches. Twenty-two mont ...

– famous quotation by

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

* Leitmotif (German spelling: ''Leitmotiv'') – any sort of recurring theme, whether in music, literature, or the life of a fictional character or a real person. *

– used as a suffix to mean expert (''Maurermeister'') or master; in Germany it means also champion in sports (''Weltmeister'', ''Europameister'', ''Landesmeister'') *

Nein Nein ( ar, نين, ''Nayin'', lit. ''Charming'', he, ניין) — also Nain or Naim in English — is an Arab citizens of Israel, Arab village in northern Israel. Located in the Lower Galilee, south of Nazareth, Nein covers a land area of appr ...

– no * Raus – meaning ''Out!'' – shortened (colloquial) (depending on where the speaker is, if on the inside "get out!" = ''hinaus'', if on the outside "come out!" = ''heraus''). It is the imperative form of the German

verb A verb () is a word (part of speech) that in syntax generally conveys an action (''bring'', ''read'', ''walk'', ''run'', ''learn''), an occurrence (''happen'', ''become''), or a state of being (''be'', ''exist'', ''stand''). In the usual descri ...

''hinausgehen'' (getting out (of a room/house/etc.)) as in the imperative ''gehen Sie raus''!).Hinaus or Heraus
/ref> *

Reich ''Reich'' (; ) is a German noun whose meaning is analogous to the meaning of the English word "realm"; this is not to be confused with the German adjective "reich" which means "rich". The terms ' (literally the "realm of an emperor") and ' (lit ...

– from the Middle High German ''rich'', as a noun it means "empire" or "realm", cf. the English word ''bishopric''. In titles as part of a compound noun, for example ''Deutsche Reichsbahn'', it is equivalent to the English word "national" or possibly ''federal'' (the words "Reich" and "Bund" are somewhat exchangeable in recent history, with the exception of the Nazi state which continued to call itself Reich despite abolishing states). For instance ''Reichsbahn'' (

erman Erman Rašiti may refer to: Given name * Erman Bulucu (born 1989), Turkish footballer * Erman Eltemur (born 1993), Turkish karateka * Erman Güraçar (born 1974), Turkish footballer * Erman Kılıç (born 1983), Turkish footballer * Erman Kunter (b ...

National/Federal Railway), or ''Reichspost'' (National/Federal Postal Service), specifically indicating in either case that the respective institutions were organised by central authority (called the German Reich at the time), not the states. To some English – and German – speakers, ''Reich'' in English strongly connotes Nazism and is sometimes used to suggest fascism or authoritarianism, e.g. "Herr Reichsminister" used as a title for a disliked politician. * Ja – yes * Jawohl – a German term that connotes an emphatic ''yes'' – "Yes, indeed!" in English. It is often equated to "yes, sir" in Anglo-American military films, since it is also a term typically used as an acknowledgement for military commands in the German military. * Schnell! – "Quick!" or "Quickly!" *

Kommandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

– commander (in the sense of ''person in command'' or commanding officer, regardless of military rank), used often in the military in general (''Standortkommandant'': base commander), on battleships and

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

s (''Schiffskommandant'' or ''U-Boot-Kommandant''), sometimes used on civilian ships and aircraft. * Wunderbar – wonderful

Terms rarely used in English

Ampelmännchen (; literally ''little traffic light man'', diminutive of ''Ampelmann'' ) is the symbol shown on pedestrian signals in Germany. Prior to German reunification in 1990, the two Germanies had different forms for the , with a generic human figure ...

* Besserwisser – someone who always "knows better" * Bockmist, lit. "billy goat's dung", meaning "nonsense" or "rubbish" * Eierlegende Wollmilchsau – literally "egg-laying wool-milk-sow", a hypothetical solution, object or person fulfilling unrealistically many different demands; also referring sometimes to a (really existing) object, concept or person like this, for example a

multi-tool A multi-tool (or multitool) is a hand tool that combines several individual functions in a single unit. The smallest are credit-card or key sized units designed for carrying in a wallet or on a keyring, but others are designed to be carried ...

or exceptionally versatile person (jack of all trades) * Fahrvergnügen – "driving pleasure"; introduced in a

advertising campaign * Fremdscham, "vicarious shame", the shame felt for the behavior of someone else *

Gastarbeiter (; both singular and plural; ) are foreign or migrant workers, particularly those who had moved to West Germany between 1955 and 1973, seeking work as part of a formal guest worker program (). As a result, guestworkers are generally consider ...

– "guest worker", foreign-born worker * Geisterfahrer – "ghost driver", a wrong-way driver; one who drives in the direction opposite to that prescribed for the given lane. *

– "Twilight of the Gods", a disastrous conclusion of events (also a music drama by Richard Wagner) *

Kobold A kobold (occasionally cobold) is a mythical sprite. Having spread into Europe with various spellings including "goblin" and "hobgoblin", and later taking root and stemming from Germanic mythology, the concept survived into modern times in Ger ...

– small mischievous fairy creature, traditionally translated as "goblin", "hobgoblin" or "imp" * Ordnung muss sein – "There must be order." This proverbial phrase illustrates the importance that German culture places upon order. *

Schmutz Schmutz may refer to: * Charlie Schmutz (1891–1962), American Major League pitcher * Gottfried Schmutz (born 1954), Swiss road racing cyclist * Olivier Schmutz (born 1971), Swiss judoka * ''Schmutz'' (film), 1987 Austrian film {{Disambiguat ...

– smut, dirt, filth * ... über alles – "above all", originally from "Deutschland über alles", the first line of

Hoffmann von Fallersleben August Heinrich Hoffmann (, calling himself von Fallersleben, after his hometown; 2 April 179819 January 1874) was a German poet. He is best known for writing "Das Lied der Deutschen", whose third stanza is now the national anthem of Germany, an ...

's poem "

Das Lied der Deutschen The "" (; "Song of Germany"), officially titled "" (; "The Song of the Germans"), has been the national anthem of Germany either wholly or in part since 1922, except for a seven-year gap following World War II in West Germany. In East German ...

" (The Song of the Germans); see also

Über alles (disambiguation) Über alles (German for ''above all'') is a phrase from " Deutschlandlied", the German national anthem. It may also refer to: * ''Über alles'' (album), 2003 album by Hanzel und Gretyl * A novel by George Yury Right (Yuri Nesterenko) written fro ...

. * Verschlimmbessern – to make something worse in an honest but failed attempt to improve it * Vorsprung durch Technik – "competitive edge through technology", used in an advertising campaign by

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. Th ...

Zweihänder The ''Zweihänder'' () (German 'two-hander'), also ''Doppelhänder'' ('double-hander'), ''Beidhänder'' ('both-hander'), ''Bihänder'' or ''Bidenhänder'', is a large two-handed sword primarily in use during the 16th century. ''Zweihänder'' s ...

– two-handed sword

German quotations used in English

Some famous English quotations are translations from German. On rare occasions an author will quote the original German as a sign of erudition. * ''Muss es sein? Es muss sein!'': "Must it be? It must be!" –

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

* ''Der Krieg ist eine bloße Fortsetzung der Politik mit anderen Mitteln'': "War is politics by other means" (literally: "War is a mere continuation of politics by other means") –

Clausewitz Carl Philipp Gottfried (or Gottlieb) von Clausewitz (; 1 June 1780 – 16 November 1831) was a Prussian general and military theorist who stressed the "moral", in modern terms meaning psychological, and political aspects of waging war. His mos ...

: "Vom Kriege", Book I, Chapter 1, Section 24 * ''Ein Gespenst geht um in Europa – das Gespenst des Kommunismus'': "A spectre is haunting Europe – the spectre of communism" – ''

The Communist Manifesto ''The Communist Manifesto'', originally the ''Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (german: Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei), is a political pamphlet written by German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Commissioned by the Commu ...

'' * ''Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt euch!'': "

Workers of the world, unite! The political slogan "Workers of the world, unite!" is one of the rallying cries from '' The Communist Manifesto'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (german: Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt Euch!, literally "Proletarians of all c ...

" – ''

'' * ''Gott würfelt nicht'': "God does not play dice" – Einstein * ''Raffiniert ist der Herrgott, aber boshaft ist er nicht'': "Subtle is the Lord, but malicious He is not" – Einstein * ''Wir müssen wissen, wir werden wissen'': "We must know, we will know" – David Hilbert * ''Was kann ich wissen? Was soll ich tun? Was darf ich hoffen? Was ist der Mensch?'': "What can I know? What shall I do? What may I hope? What is Man?" –

: ''Critique of Practical Reason, Kritik der praktischen Vernunft'' * ''Die ganzen Zahlen hat der liebe Gott gemacht, alles andere ist Menschenwerk'': "God made the integers, all the rest is the work of man" – Leopold Kronecker * ''Hier stehe ich, ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir. Amen!'': "Here I stand, I cannot do differently. God help me. Amen!" – attributed to Martin Luther * ''Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen'': "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent" – Ludwig Wittgenstein, Wittgenstein * ''Einmal ist keinmal'': "What happens once might as well never have happened." literally "once is never" – a common German phrase and the theme of ''The Unbearable Lightness of Being'' by Milan Kundera * ''Es lebe die Freiheit'': "Long live freedom" – Hans Scholl * ''Arbeit macht frei'': "Labour creates freedom" literally "work makes (you) free" – A phrase written over the entranceway of extermination camps in the Holocaust.

References

External links

Dictionary of Germanisms

User-generated collection of Germanisms
including images of spottings.

(John Aldrich, University of Southampton) See Section on Contribution of German.

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