Wer hätts gewusst?
List of German expressions in English
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This is a list of German expressions used in English; some relatively common (e.g. hamburger), most comparatively rare. In many cases, the German borrowing in English has assumed a meaning substantially different than its German forebear.
English and German both descended from the West Germanic language, though their relationship has been obscured by the great influx of Norman French words to English consequence of the Norman Conquest in 1066, and the second Germanic sound 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 in Ä, Ö, Ü, ä, ö and ü) of the original word and replaces them with Ae, Oe, Ue, ae, oe, ue, respectively (influenced by Latin: æ, œ.)
German words have been incorporated to English usage for many reasons; common cultural artefacts, especially foods, have spread to English-speaking nations and often are identified either by their original German names or by German-sounding English names. The history of academic excellence of the German-speaking nations in science, scholarship, and classical music has led to the academic adoption of much German for use in English context; discussion of German history and culture requires knowing German words. Lastly, some German words are used simply to a fictionalise an English narrative passage, implying that the subject expressed is in German, i.e. using Frau, Reich, et cetera, although sometimes usage of German words holds no German implication, as in doppelgänger or angst.
As languages, English and German descend from the common ancestor language Proto-Germanic, because of this, some English words are identical to their German lexical counterparts, either in the spelling (Hand, Finger) or in the pronunciation (Fish = Fisch), or both (Arm); these are excluded from this words list.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 German terms commonly used in English
o 1.1 Food and drink
o 1.2 Sports and recreation
o 1.3 Other aspects of everyday life
* 2 German terms common in English academic context
o 2.1 Academia
o 2.2 Architecture
o 2.3 Arts
+ 2.3.1 Theatre
o 2.4 Biology
o 2.5 Economics
o 2.6 Geography
o 2.7 Geology
o 2.8 History
+ 2.8.1 Das Dritte Reich (The Third Reich)
+ 2.8.2 Other historical periods
+ 2.8.3 Noble titles
+ 2.8.4 General military terms
+ 2.8.5 Military ranks
o 2.9 Linguistics
o 2.10 Literature
o 2.11 Mathematics and formal logic
o 2.12 Medicine
o 2.13 Music
o 2.14 Philosophy
o 2.15 Physical sciences
o 2.16 Politics
o 2.17 Psychology
o 2.18 Sociology
o 2.19 Theology
* 3 German terms mostly used for literary effect
* 4 German terms rarely used in English
* 5 Quotations
* 6 Music
o 6.1 Meanings of German band names
+ 6.1.1 See also:
o 6.2 Classical music works
o 6.3 Carols and hymns
o 6.4 Modern songs
* 7 See also
* 8 External links
German terms commonly used in English
The German words of this category will easily be recognized by many English speakers; they are commonly used in English contexts. Some, such as wurst or pumpernickel, still retain German connotations, while others, such as lager and hamburger, retain none. Not every word is recognizable outside its relevant context.
Food and drink
* Beergarden (German spelling: Biergarten)
* Bratwurst (sometimes abbv. brat)
* Delicatessen (modern German spelling: Delikatessen; abbv. deli)
* Hamburger
* Hasenpfeffer, a type of rabbit (or hare) stew
* Frankfurter
* Kirschwasser (in U.S. English only)
* Kohlrabi
* Kraut (in U.S. English only — can also be a derisive term for Germans)
* Lager (beer)
* Liverwurst (from the German Leberwurst; e.g., Braunschweiger)
* Muesli (German spelling: Müsli, Swiss German Müesli)
* Pils, Pilsner, Pilsener (originally Bohemian town Pilsen (now Czech Plzeň) — in the Holy Roman Empire
* Pretzel (German spelling: Brezel)
* Pumpernickel, a type of sourdough rye bread, strongly flavoured, dense, and dark in colour.
* Sauerkraut
* Schnapps (German spelling: Schnaps)
* Spritzer (from the Austrian and Bavarian 'G'spritzter', in Germany commonly called "Weinschorle", German word Spritzer-English squirt)
* Stein (i.e. "Bier Stein", pronounced [beer stīn], a large drinking mug, usually for beer, made of materials ranging from wood to plastic; the English word refers to the decorated, ceramic version of the artifact. In German, the word stein means "stone", but its English form originates from Steinkrug, meaning "stone mug"; Germans also refer to it as a Bierkrug.)
* Strudel (e. g. Apfelstrudel)
* Wiener (abbreviated from the German Wiener Würstchen, sausages from Vienna. In Austria, they are called Frankfurter.)
* Wienerschnitzel, Wiener schnitzel (German spelling: Wiener Schnitzel; Wien is the Austrian and German name for what an English person would refer to as "Vienna".)
* Wurst
* Zwieback
Sports and recreation
* Abseil (German spelling: sich abseilen, a reflexive verb, to rope (seil) oneself (sich) down (ab))
* Foosball (German spelling: Fußball; refers to the field game football; in the United States and Canada, foosball refers exclusively to the tabletop football game found in bars, saloons, and pubs; also Tischfußball, Wuzzler, Kicker, or Krökeln in German, Töggele in Swiss German, and simply table football in the UK, Australia and the rest of the Anglic world.
* Carabiner (German spelling: Karabiner - Snaplink, a metal loop with a sprung or screwed gate, used in climbing and mountaineering); modern short form/derivation of the older word 'Karabinerhaken'; translates to 'Riflehook'
* Fahrvergnügen (the trick in aggressive inline skating. German: Fahrvergnügen, meaning "driving pleasure"; originally, the word was introduced in a Volkswagen advertising campaign in the U.S., one tag line was: "Are we having Fahrvergnügen yet?")
* Kletterschuh
* Rucksack (more commonly called a backpack in U.S. English)
* Schuss (literally: shot — ski down a slope at high speed)
* Volksmarching
* Volkssport
* Volkswalk
* Volkswanderung
* Wunderbar
* Zugzwang
* Zwischenzug
Other aspects of everyday life
* auf Wiedersehen, lit. "on seeing again," popularly used to express farewell
* -bahn as a suffix, e.g. Infobahn (ironic term for 'high-capacity data networks', after Autobahn.)
* Dachshund (a word that Germans rarely use; they say 'Dackel' or 'Teckel')
* Doberman Pinscher (German spelling: Dobermannpinscher, Germans often just say 'Dobermann')
* Doppelgänger ("double-goer"; also spelled: doppelganger) — usages: "double" or "replica"
* Dreck Literally dirt or smut, but now means "trashy", "awful"
* Dummkopf (dumm=dumb/not intelligent + Kopf=head) a stupid, ignorant person (used contemptuously)
* Ersatz, "replacement" as from the German Ersatzteil (spare part, replacement part); in English: "substitute", "imitation" (used derogatorily)
* Fest
* Flak (Flugabwehrkanone — literally: aircraft-defense gun), for anti-aircraft guns or their shells, as in flak jacket; or in the figurative sense: "drawing flak" = being heavily criticized
* Gesundheit (German: "health"; an exclamation used in place of "bless you!" after someone has sneezed, an interesting theory traces this use back to the Bubonic plague epidemic.)
* Kaffeeklatsch ("coffee gossip", coffee party with gossiping - usually associated with women)
* kaput (German spelling: kaputt)
* Kindergarten, children’s garden, common in many countries, though not in the UK —
* Kitsch: cheap, sentimental, gaudy items of popular culture
* Kraut, a derogatory term for a German, because of assumed dietary habits (cabbage). Obsolete today, but current during World War I and World War II
* Lebensraum — space to live
* Meister, "Master", also as a suffix "-meister" — in modern English used sarcastically ; compare to Italian Maestro
* nazi — short form for National Socialist; now U.S. slang for people who behave very uptightly about something. This meaning was popularised in an episode of the U.S. television comedy programme Seinfeld, which features the soup nazi restaurateur character.
* Neanderthal (modern German spelling: Neandertal), of, from, and or pertaining to the "Neander Valley", site near Düsseldorf where early Homo erectus fossils were found.
* Oktoberfest — A Bavarian Folk Festival held annually in Munich during late September and early October.
* Poltergeist — 'mischievous, noisy ghost' cases of haunting involving spontaneous psychokinesis
* Rottweiler — breed of dog, named for its town of origin
* Schadenfreude, also Schadensfreude — happiness at the misfortune of others
* Schnauzer (a German breed of dog with a close, wiry coat and heavy whiskers round the muzzle; also means "mustache")
* Spitz (a breed of dog)
* uber, über, (German spelling: über) "over", used to indicate that something, someone is of better or greater magnitude, e.g. überherren, cf. Übermensch.
* Ur- (German prefix): original or prototypical, e.g., Ur-feminist, Ur-language; Ursprache (proto-language)
* verboten (prohibited or forbidden)
* Volkswagen proper name in English; usually read with English phonetics (i.e. initial German v is sounded as English v, rather than German f; English w, rather than German v). In Germany, the abbreviation VW is often used instead of the long form.
* Wanderlust the yearning to travel
* Weltanschauung — World-view, underlying assumptions about reality.
* Wunderkind, "wonder child", a prodigy
* Zeitgeist "spirit of the time"
* Zeitnot (to be pronounced with a long o), to be in a rush
* Zeppelin, type of airship named after its inventor
* Waldsterben (deforestation, lit. "forest-death")
German terms common in English academic context
German terms frequently appear in English academic disciplines, notably history, psychology, philosophy, music, and the physical sciences; laymen in a given field may or may not be familiar with a given German term.
Academia
* Ansatz, basic approach
* Festschrift, book prepared by colleagues to honor a scholar, traditionally presented sixty years after the first major work by the individual being thus honored.
* Leitfaden, ('guiding thread') illustration of the interdependence between chapters of a book.
* Methodenstreit, disagreement on methodology
* Privatdozent
* Doktorvater, dissertation advisor
Architecture
* Bauhaus
* Jugendstil
* Plattenbau
Arts
* Gesamtkunstwerk, "total work of art" or "complete artwork"
Theatre
* Verfremdungseffekt
Biology
* Bauplan
* Anlage
* Bereitschaftspotential
Economics
* Freigeld
* Freiwirtschaft
* Lumpenproletariat
* Takt
* Wirtschaftswunder
Geography
* Hinterland
* Inselberg
* Mitteleuropa
* Niemandsland - No man's land
* Thalweg (written "Talweg" in Germany today)
* Trockengrenze - aridity line
Geology
* Gneiss (German Gneis)
* Graben
* Karst
* Dreikanter
Minerals including:
* Quartz (German Quarz)
* Feldspar (German Feldspat)
* Meerschaum
History
(Some terms are listed in multiple categories if they are important to each.)
Das Dritte Reich (The Third Reich)
See Glossary of the Weimar Republic and Glossary of the Third Reich.
Other historical periods
* Junker
* Kaiser, "emperor" (derived from the title "Caesar")
* Kulturkampf
* Landflucht
* Ostflucht
* Ostpolitik
* Ostalgie (nostalgia for the former Eastern Bloc, specifically for the DDR)
* Realpolitik (Political science: "real politics"); usually implies the way politics really work, i.e. via the influence of power and money, rather than a political party's given interpretation.
* Reichstag (Imperial Diet; see Reichstag (building) and Reichstag (institution))
* Sammlungspolitik
* Völkerschlacht — the Battle of Nations
* Völkerwanderung (pronounced folkervanderung)
* Weltpolitik — the politics of global domination; contemporarily, "the current climate in global politics".
* Biedermeier, era in early 19th century Germany
Noble titles
* Freiherr and Baron, roughly equivalent to an English baron, the lowest rank of higher nobility
* Fürst, prince, but see entry for notes and qualifications: in German use refers to leader of a principality, not an heir to a throne
* Graf, count
* Junker squire, landowner
* Kaiser, emperor
* Landgraf, count with princely (sovereign) powers, see entry for relation to Graf
* Margrave (from German Markgraf, [mark-graf]: "count of the march")
General military terms
* Blitzkrieg Lightning war. Phrase invented by a Spanish journalist to describe mobile combined arms methods used by Nazis in 1939–1940.
* Flak (Flugabwehrkanone), anti-aircraft gun
* Fliegerhorst, another word for a military airport
* Karabiner type of a gun. For the climbing hardware, see carabiner above
* Kriegspiel, war game; correct German word: Kriegsspiel)
* Luftwaffe, air force
* Panzer refers to tanks and other armoured vehicles, or formations of such vehicles
* Panzerfaust, tank fist anti-tank weapon, a small recoilless gun.
* Strafe, punishment
* U-Boot (abbreviated form of Unterseeboot — submarine, but commonly called U-Boot in Germany as well)
* Vernichtungsgedanke (thought of annihilation)
Military ranks
* Soldat (Soldier)
* Gefreiter (Private)
* Feldwebel (Sergeant)
* Fähnrich (Ensign)
* Leutnant (Lieutenant)
* Hauptmann (Captain)
* Major
* Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant-Colonel)
* Oberst (Colonel)
* General
Linguistics
* Ablaut
* Abstandsprache
* Aktionsart
* Ausbausprache
* Dachsprache
* Dreimorengesetz, "three-mora law", the rule for placing stress in Latin
* Grenzsignal, "boundary signal"
* Loanword (ironically not a loanword but rather a calque from German Lehnwort)
* Leitmotiv, a recurring theme
* Sitz im Leben (Biblical linguistics mainly; the study of Pragmatics has a similar approach)
* Sprachbund, "language union", a group of languages that have become similar because of geographical proximity
* Sprachraum
* Suffixaufnahme
* Umlaut
* Urheimat
* Ursprache, "proto-language"
* Wanderwort
Literature
* Bildungsroman
* Künstlerroman
* Sturm und Drang, an 18th century literary movement; "storm and stress" in English, although the literal translation is closer to "storm and urge".
* Urtext, "original text"
* Vorlage, original or mastercopy of a text on which derivates are based
* Wahlverwandtschaft (pronounced with a v) (from Goethe's Die Wahlverwandtschaften)
* Q, abbreviation for Quelle ("source"), a postulated lost document in Biblical criticism
Mathematics and formal logic
* Ansatz (lit. "set down," roughly equivalent to "approach" or "where to begin", a starting assumption)
* "Eigen-" in composita such as eigenfunction, eigenvector, eigenvalue, eigenform; in English "-self" or "own".
* Entscheidungsproblem
* Grossencharakter
* Hilbert's Nullstellensatz (Without apostrophe in German)
* Ideal (Originally "ideale Zahlen", defined by Ernst Kummer)
* Krull's Hauptidealsatz (Without apostrophe in German)
* Möbius band (ger.: Möbiusband)
* quadratfrei
* Vierergruppe (also known as Klein four-group)
* "Neben-" in composita such as Nebentype
* \mathbb{Z} from (ganze) Zahlen ((whole) numbers), the integers
Medicine
* Kernicterus
* Mittelschmerz ("middle pain", used to refer to ovulation pain)
* Rinderpest
* Spinnbarkeit
* Witzelsucht
Music
* Flugelhorn (German spelling: Flügelhorn), a type of brass musical instrument
* Glockenspiel, a percussion instrument
* Heldentenor, "heroic tenor"
* Hammerklavier, "hammer-keyboard", an archaic term for piano or the name of a specific kind of piano; most commonly used in English to refer to Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata.
* Kapellmeister, "music director"
* 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"
* Liedermacher
* Meistersinger
* Minnesinger (German spelling: Minnesänger) "Love poet or minstrel"
* Schlager, "a hit" (German "schlagen", to hit or beat).
* Schuhplattler, a regional dance from Upper Bavaria and Austria
* Singspiel, German musical drama with spoken dialogue
* Sprechgesang, form of musical delivery between speech and singing
* Sturm und Drang, "storm and stress", a brief esthetic movement in German literature, just before Weimar Classicism
* Urtext, "original text (of the composer)"
* Volksmusic (German spelling: Volksmusik)
* Waltz (German spelling: Walzer)
Philosophy
* An sich, in itself
* Dasein
* Ding an sich, thing in itself from Kant
* Geist, mind, spirit or ghost
* Gott ist tot!, a popular phrase from Nietzsche; more commonly rendered "God is dead!" in English.
* Übermensch, also from Nietzsche; the ideal of a Superhuman or Overman.
* Weltanschauung, Worldview or View of the world
* Weltschmerz, World-weariness/World-pain, angst; despair with the World (often used ironically in German)
* Wertfreiheit, Freedom from value judgements; ethical neutrality (in a post-modernistic philosophy sense)
* Wille zur Macht, a central concept of Nietzsche's philosophy; it means "the Will to Power."
Physical sciences
* Ansatz, an assumption for a function that is not based on an underlying theory
* Aufbau principle (physical chemistry)
* Bauplan, body plan of animals
* Bremsstrahlung
* Entgegen and its opposite zusammen (organic chemistry)
* Föhn, also foehn, a warm wind which sometimes appears on the northern side of the alps in south Germany.
* Gedanken experiment (German spelling: Gedankenexperiment; more commonly referred to as a "thought experiment" in English.)
* Gegenschein
* Gerade and its opposite ungerade (quantum mechanics)
* Heiligenschein
* Lagerstätten, repositories
* Mischmetall, alloy.
* Rocks and minerals like Quartz (German spelling: Quarz), Gneiss and Feldspar (originally "Gneis" respectively "Feldspat"), Meerschaum
* Reststrahlen (residual rays)
* Sollbruchstelle, predetermined breaking point
* Spiegeleisen
* Umpolung (organic chemistry)
* Vierbein, and variations such as vielbein
* Zitterbewegung
* Zwitterion
Politics
* Machtpolitik, power politics
* Putsch, overthrow of those in power by a small group, coup d'etat
* Realpolitik, "politics of reality": foreign politics based on practical concerns rather than ideology or ethics.
* Rechtsstaat, concept of a state based on law and human rights
Psychology
* Angst, feeling of Fear, but more deeply and without concrete object.
(Many think the meaning is much more specific in English and the German Angst equals "fear". Yet, this is not true, as the German Furcht means fear. The difference is that Furcht is provoked by a specific object or occurrence, while Angst is a more general state of being that does not need to be initiated by anything concrete. It can happen autonomously, i.e. influenced by prior experience of Furcht without reason. Angst is more appropriately equated to the English concept of "anxiety.")
* Sorge, a state of worry, but (like Angst) in a less concrete, more general sense, worry about the world, one's future, etc.
* Gestalt (psychology; much narrower meaning than in German.)
* Schadenfreude (a malicious satisfaction obtained from the misfortunes of others)
* Umwelt, environment.
* Zeitgeber (lit. time-giver; something that resets the circadian clock found in the SCN.)
* Weltschmerz, world-pain or world-weariness
* Wunderkind, child prodigy. This has become a loanword in English.
Sociology
* Gemeinschaft (sociology; community.)
* Gesellschaft (sociology; society.)
* Weltanschauung
* Zeitgeist, spirit of the times or age
Theology
* Heilgeschichte (salvation history, God's positive saving actions throughout history)
* Sitz im Leben (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:
* Autobahn — particularly common in British English and American English referring specifically to German motorways which have no general speed limit.
* Achtung — Literally, "attention" in English.
* Frau and Fräulein — Woman and young woman or girl, respectively in English. Indicating marital state, with Frau — Mrs. and Fräulein — Ms.; in Germany, however, the diminutive Fräulein was officially abandoned from common usage in the late 1960s. Regardless of marital status, a woman is now to be referred to as Frau, and Fräulein has come to be perceived as insulting.
* Führer (umlaut is usually dropped in English) — always used in English to denote Hitler or to connote a Fascistic leader — never used, as is possible in German, simply and unironically to denote a (non-Fascist) leader, (i.e. Bergführer = mountain guide, Stadtführer = city guide, Führerschein = driving licence etc.)
* Gott mit uns, (in German means "God be with us"), the motto of the Prussian emperor, it 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 — evokes German context; Literally the German equivalent of Mr./Mister (derived from the adjective hehr, meaning "honourable" or "senior"). In a religious environment it means Lord.
* Lederhosen (Singular Lederhose in German denotes one pair of leather short pants or trousers. The original Bavarian word is Lederhosn, which is both singular and plural.)
* Leitmotif (German spelling: Leitmotiv) Any sort of recurring theme, whether in music, literature, or the life of a fictional character or a real person.
* Meister — used as a suffix to mean expert (Maurermeister), or master; in Germany it means also champion in sports (Weltmeister, Europameister, Landesmeister)
* Nein, no
* Raus — used to mean Out!
* Reich — to English speakers, Reich does not denote its literal meaning, "empire", but strongly connotes Nazism and is often used to suggest Fascism or authoritarianism, e.g., "Herr Reichsminister" used as a title for a disliked politician. German reich as an adjective means "rich", as a noun it means "empire" and "realm".
* 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.
* Schnell! — Fast!
* Kommandant — officer or person in command, especially of a military camp or U-Boat. (Applies regardless of military rank, in distinction to the English "commander".)
* Schweinhund (German spelling: Schweinehund) — literally: Schwein = pig, Hund = dog, Vulgarism like in der verdammte Schweinehund. But also used to describe the lack of motivation (for example to quit a bad habit) Den inneren Schweinehund bekämpfen. = to battle the inner pig-dog.
German terms rarely used in English
This is the unsorted, original list. If a term is common in a particular academic discipline, and there is no more commonly used English equivalent, then please move it to the list above.
* Aha-Erlebnis literally "aha experience" eg "Eureka".
* Fahrvergnugen (German spelling: Fahrvergnügen, literally pleasure of driving. Coined for a Volkswagen advertising campaign; caused widespread puzzlement in America when it was used in television commercials with no explanation.)
* Gastarbeiter — a German "guest worker"
* Gemütlich — "comfortably"
* Kobold — translated as "Goblin", "Hobgoblin, and "Imp"; the role playing game Dungeons & Dragons has included Kobolds (as well as creatures called "Goblins", "Imps" and "Hobgoblins" in completely separate forms) as part of the bestiary for a number of editions, including the current edition, 3.5. Kobold is also the origin of the name of the metal cobalt.
* Schmutz (smut, dirt, filth). This term is, however, particularly popular in New York, reflecting the influence of the Yiddish language.
* Schwanz (tail). A synonym for penis.
* ... über Alles (originally "Deutschland über Alles" (actually this sentence meant to propagate a united Germany instead of small separated German Territories only); now used by extension in other cases, as in the Dead Kennedys song "California Über Alles"). This part of the Lied der Deutschen (Song of the Germans) is not part of the national anthem today, as it is thought to have been used to propagate the attitude of racial and national superiority in Nazi Germany, as in the phrase "Germany over all".
* Ur- (as a prefix to mean "proto-")
* Vorsprung durch Technik ('headstart through technology'): used in an advertising campaign by Audi, to suggest technical excellence
* Zweihander (German spelling: Zweihänder)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This is a list of German expressions used in English; some relatively common (e.g. hamburger), most comparatively rare. In many cases, the German borrowing in English has assumed a meaning substantially different than its German forebear.
English and German both descended from the West Germanic language, though their relationship has been obscured by the great influx of Norman French words to English consequence of the Norman Conquest in 1066, and the second Germanic sound 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 in Ä, Ö, Ü, ä, ö and ü) of the original word and replaces them with Ae, Oe, Ue, ae, oe, ue, respectively (influenced by Latin: æ, œ.)
German words have been incorporated to English usage for many reasons; common cultural artefacts, especially foods, have spread to English-speaking nations and often are identified either by their original German names or by German-sounding English names. The history of academic excellence of the German-speaking nations in science, scholarship, and classical music has led to the academic adoption of much German for use in English context; discussion of German history and culture requires knowing German words. Lastly, some German words are used simply to a fictionalise an English narrative passage, implying that the subject expressed is in German, i.e. using Frau, Reich, et cetera, although sometimes usage of German words holds no German implication, as in doppelgänger or angst.
As languages, English and German descend from the common ancestor language Proto-Germanic, because of this, some English words are identical to their German lexical counterparts, either in the spelling (Hand, Finger) or in the pronunciation (Fish = Fisch), or both (Arm); these are excluded from this words list.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 German terms commonly used in English
o 1.1 Food and drink
o 1.2 Sports and recreation
o 1.3 Other aspects of everyday life
* 2 German terms common in English academic context
o 2.1 Academia
o 2.2 Architecture
o 2.3 Arts
+ 2.3.1 Theatre
o 2.4 Biology
o 2.5 Economics
o 2.6 Geography
o 2.7 Geology
o 2.8 History
+ 2.8.1 Das Dritte Reich (The Third Reich)
+ 2.8.2 Other historical periods
+ 2.8.3 Noble titles
+ 2.8.4 General military terms
+ 2.8.5 Military ranks
o 2.9 Linguistics
o 2.10 Literature
o 2.11 Mathematics and formal logic
o 2.12 Medicine
o 2.13 Music
o 2.14 Philosophy
o 2.15 Physical sciences
o 2.16 Politics
o 2.17 Psychology
o 2.18 Sociology
o 2.19 Theology
* 3 German terms mostly used for literary effect
* 4 German terms rarely used in English
* 5 Quotations
* 6 Music
o 6.1 Meanings of German band names
+ 6.1.1 See also:
o 6.2 Classical music works
o 6.3 Carols and hymns
o 6.4 Modern songs
* 7 See also
* 8 External links
German terms commonly used in English
The German words of this category will easily be recognized by many English speakers; they are commonly used in English contexts. Some, such as wurst or pumpernickel, still retain German connotations, while others, such as lager and hamburger, retain none. Not every word is recognizable outside its relevant context.
Food and drink
* Beergarden (German spelling: Biergarten)
* Bratwurst (sometimes abbv. brat)
* Delicatessen (modern German spelling: Delikatessen; abbv. deli)
* Hamburger
* Hasenpfeffer, a type of rabbit (or hare) stew
* Frankfurter
* Kirschwasser (in U.S. English only)
* Kohlrabi
* Kraut (in U.S. English only — can also be a derisive term for Germans)
* Lager (beer)
* Liverwurst (from the German Leberwurst; e.g., Braunschweiger)
* Muesli (German spelling: Müsli, Swiss German Müesli)
* Pils, Pilsner, Pilsener (originally Bohemian town Pilsen (now Czech Plzeň) — in the Holy Roman Empire
* Pretzel (German spelling: Brezel)
* Pumpernickel, a type of sourdough rye bread, strongly flavoured, dense, and dark in colour.
* Sauerkraut
* Schnapps (German spelling: Schnaps)
* Spritzer (from the Austrian and Bavarian 'G'spritzter', in Germany commonly called "Weinschorle", German word Spritzer-English squirt)
* Stein (i.e. "Bier Stein", pronounced [beer stīn], a large drinking mug, usually for beer, made of materials ranging from wood to plastic; the English word refers to the decorated, ceramic version of the artifact. In German, the word stein means "stone", but its English form originates from Steinkrug, meaning "stone mug"; Germans also refer to it as a Bierkrug.)
* Strudel (e. g. Apfelstrudel)
* Wiener (abbreviated from the German Wiener Würstchen, sausages from Vienna. In Austria, they are called Frankfurter.)
* Wienerschnitzel, Wiener schnitzel (German spelling: Wiener Schnitzel; Wien is the Austrian and German name for what an English person would refer to as "Vienna".)
* Wurst
* Zwieback
Sports and recreation
* Abseil (German spelling: sich abseilen, a reflexive verb, to rope (seil) oneself (sich) down (ab))
* Foosball (German spelling: Fußball; refers to the field game football; in the United States and Canada, foosball refers exclusively to the tabletop football game found in bars, saloons, and pubs; also Tischfußball, Wuzzler, Kicker, or Krökeln in German, Töggele in Swiss German, and simply table football in the UK, Australia and the rest of the Anglic world.
* Carabiner (German spelling: Karabiner - Snaplink, a metal loop with a sprung or screwed gate, used in climbing and mountaineering); modern short form/derivation of the older word 'Karabinerhaken'; translates to 'Riflehook'
* Fahrvergnügen (the trick in aggressive inline skating. German: Fahrvergnügen, meaning "driving pleasure"; originally, the word was introduced in a Volkswagen advertising campaign in the U.S., one tag line was: "Are we having Fahrvergnügen yet?")
* Kletterschuh
* Rucksack (more commonly called a backpack in U.S. English)
* Schuss (literally: shot — ski down a slope at high speed)
* Volksmarching
* Volkssport
* Volkswalk
* Volkswanderung
* Wunderbar
* Zugzwang
* Zwischenzug
Other aspects of everyday life
* auf Wiedersehen, lit. "on seeing again," popularly used to express farewell
* -bahn as a suffix, e.g. Infobahn (ironic term for 'high-capacity data networks', after Autobahn.)
* Dachshund (a word that Germans rarely use; they say 'Dackel' or 'Teckel')
* Doberman Pinscher (German spelling: Dobermannpinscher, Germans often just say 'Dobermann')
* Doppelgänger ("double-goer"; also spelled: doppelganger) — usages: "double" or "replica"
* Dreck Literally dirt or smut, but now means "trashy", "awful"
* Dummkopf (dumm=dumb/not intelligent + Kopf=head) a stupid, ignorant person (used contemptuously)
* Ersatz, "replacement" as from the German Ersatzteil (spare part, replacement part); in English: "substitute", "imitation" (used derogatorily)
* Fest
* Flak (Flugabwehrkanone — literally: aircraft-defense gun), for anti-aircraft guns or their shells, as in flak jacket; or in the figurative sense: "drawing flak" = being heavily criticized
* Gesundheit (German: "health"; an exclamation used in place of "bless you!" after someone has sneezed, an interesting theory traces this use back to the Bubonic plague epidemic.)
* Kaffeeklatsch ("coffee gossip", coffee party with gossiping - usually associated with women)
* kaput (German spelling: kaputt)
* Kindergarten, children’s garden, common in many countries, though not in the UK —
* Kitsch: cheap, sentimental, gaudy items of popular culture
* Kraut, a derogatory term for a German, because of assumed dietary habits (cabbage). Obsolete today, but current during World War I and World War II
* Lebensraum — space to live
* Meister, "Master", also as a suffix "-meister" — in modern English used sarcastically ; compare to Italian Maestro
* nazi — short form for National Socialist; now U.S. slang for people who behave very uptightly about something. This meaning was popularised in an episode of the U.S. television comedy programme Seinfeld, which features the soup nazi restaurateur character.
* Neanderthal (modern German spelling: Neandertal), of, from, and or pertaining to the "Neander Valley", site near Düsseldorf where early Homo erectus fossils were found.
* Oktoberfest — A Bavarian Folk Festival held annually in Munich during late September and early October.
* Poltergeist — 'mischievous, noisy ghost' cases of haunting involving spontaneous psychokinesis
* Rottweiler — breed of dog, named for its town of origin
* Schadenfreude, also Schadensfreude — happiness at the misfortune of others
* Schnauzer (a German breed of dog with a close, wiry coat and heavy whiskers round the muzzle; also means "mustache")
* Spitz (a breed of dog)
* uber, über, (German spelling: über) "over", used to indicate that something, someone is of better or greater magnitude, e.g. überherren, cf. Übermensch.
* Ur- (German prefix): original or prototypical, e.g., Ur-feminist, Ur-language; Ursprache (proto-language)
* verboten (prohibited or forbidden)
* Volkswagen proper name in English; usually read with English phonetics (i.e. initial German v is sounded as English v, rather than German f; English w, rather than German v). In Germany, the abbreviation VW is often used instead of the long form.
* Wanderlust the yearning to travel
* Weltanschauung — World-view, underlying assumptions about reality.
* Wunderkind, "wonder child", a prodigy
* Zeitgeist "spirit of the time"
* Zeitnot (to be pronounced with a long o), to be in a rush
* Zeppelin, type of airship named after its inventor
* Waldsterben (deforestation, lit. "forest-death")
German terms common in English academic context
German terms frequently appear in English academic disciplines, notably history, psychology, philosophy, music, and the physical sciences; laymen in a given field may or may not be familiar with a given German term.
Academia
* Ansatz, basic approach
* Festschrift, book prepared by colleagues to honor a scholar, traditionally presented sixty years after the first major work by the individual being thus honored.
* Leitfaden, ('guiding thread') illustration of the interdependence between chapters of a book.
* Methodenstreit, disagreement on methodology
* Privatdozent
* Doktorvater, dissertation advisor
Architecture
* Bauhaus
* Jugendstil
* Plattenbau
Arts
* Gesamtkunstwerk, "total work of art" or "complete artwork"
Theatre
* Verfremdungseffekt
Biology
* Bauplan
* Anlage
* Bereitschaftspotential
Economics
* Freigeld
* Freiwirtschaft
* Lumpenproletariat
* Takt
* Wirtschaftswunder
Geography
* Hinterland
* Inselberg
* Mitteleuropa
* Niemandsland - No man's land
* Thalweg (written "Talweg" in Germany today)
* Trockengrenze - aridity line
Geology
* Gneiss (German Gneis)
* Graben
* Karst
* Dreikanter
Minerals including:
* Quartz (German Quarz)
* Feldspar (German Feldspat)
* Meerschaum
History
(Some terms are listed in multiple categories if they are important to each.)
Das Dritte Reich (The Third Reich)
See Glossary of the Weimar Republic and Glossary of the Third Reich.
Other historical periods
* Junker
* Kaiser, "emperor" (derived from the title "Caesar")
* Kulturkampf
* Landflucht
* Ostflucht
* Ostpolitik
* Ostalgie (nostalgia for the former Eastern Bloc, specifically for the DDR)
* Realpolitik (Political science: "real politics"); usually implies the way politics really work, i.e. via the influence of power and money, rather than a political party's given interpretation.
* Reichstag (Imperial Diet; see Reichstag (building) and Reichstag (institution))
* Sammlungspolitik
* Völkerschlacht — the Battle of Nations
* Völkerwanderung (pronounced folkervanderung)
* Weltpolitik — the politics of global domination; contemporarily, "the current climate in global politics".
* Biedermeier, era in early 19th century Germany
Noble titles
* Freiherr and Baron, roughly equivalent to an English baron, the lowest rank of higher nobility
* Fürst, prince, but see entry for notes and qualifications: in German use refers to leader of a principality, not an heir to a throne
* Graf, count
* Junker squire, landowner
* Kaiser, emperor
* Landgraf, count with princely (sovereign) powers, see entry for relation to Graf
* Margrave (from German Markgraf, [mark-graf]: "count of the march")
General military terms
* Blitzkrieg Lightning war. Phrase invented by a Spanish journalist to describe mobile combined arms methods used by Nazis in 1939–1940.
* Flak (Flugabwehrkanone), anti-aircraft gun
* Fliegerhorst, another word for a military airport
* Karabiner type of a gun. For the climbing hardware, see carabiner above
* Kriegspiel, war game; correct German word: Kriegsspiel)
* Luftwaffe, air force
* Panzer refers to tanks and other armoured vehicles, or formations of such vehicles
* Panzerfaust, tank fist anti-tank weapon, a small recoilless gun.
* Strafe, punishment
* U-Boot (abbreviated form of Unterseeboot — submarine, but commonly called U-Boot in Germany as well)
* Vernichtungsgedanke (thought of annihilation)
Military ranks
* Soldat (Soldier)
* Gefreiter (Private)
* Feldwebel (Sergeant)
* Fähnrich (Ensign)
* Leutnant (Lieutenant)
* Hauptmann (Captain)
* Major
* Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant-Colonel)
* Oberst (Colonel)
* General
Linguistics
* Ablaut
* Abstandsprache
* Aktionsart
* Ausbausprache
* Dachsprache
* Dreimorengesetz, "three-mora law", the rule for placing stress in Latin
* Grenzsignal, "boundary signal"
* Loanword (ironically not a loanword but rather a calque from German Lehnwort)
* Leitmotiv, a recurring theme
* Sitz im Leben (Biblical linguistics mainly; the study of Pragmatics has a similar approach)
* Sprachbund, "language union", a group of languages that have become similar because of geographical proximity
* Sprachraum
* Suffixaufnahme
* Umlaut
* Urheimat
* Ursprache, "proto-language"
* Wanderwort
Literature
* Bildungsroman
* Künstlerroman
* Sturm und Drang, an 18th century literary movement; "storm and stress" in English, although the literal translation is closer to "storm and urge".
* Urtext, "original text"
* Vorlage, original or mastercopy of a text on which derivates are based
* Wahlverwandtschaft (pronounced with a v) (from Goethe's Die Wahlverwandtschaften)
* Q, abbreviation for Quelle ("source"), a postulated lost document in Biblical criticism
Mathematics and formal logic
* Ansatz (lit. "set down," roughly equivalent to "approach" or "where to begin", a starting assumption)
* "Eigen-" in composita such as eigenfunction, eigenvector, eigenvalue, eigenform; in English "-self" or "own".
* Entscheidungsproblem
* Grossencharakter
* Hilbert's Nullstellensatz (Without apostrophe in German)
* Ideal (Originally "ideale Zahlen", defined by Ernst Kummer)
* Krull's Hauptidealsatz (Without apostrophe in German)
* Möbius band (ger.: Möbiusband)
* quadratfrei
* Vierergruppe (also known as Klein four-group)
* "Neben-" in composita such as Nebentype
* \mathbb{Z} from (ganze) Zahlen ((whole) numbers), the integers
Medicine
* Kernicterus
* Mittelschmerz ("middle pain", used to refer to ovulation pain)
* Rinderpest
* Spinnbarkeit
* Witzelsucht
Music
* Flugelhorn (German spelling: Flügelhorn), a type of brass musical instrument
* Glockenspiel, a percussion instrument
* Heldentenor, "heroic tenor"
* Hammerklavier, "hammer-keyboard", an archaic term for piano or the name of a specific kind of piano; most commonly used in English to refer to Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata.
* Kapellmeister, "music director"
* 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"
* Liedermacher
* Meistersinger
* Minnesinger (German spelling: Minnesänger) "Love poet or minstrel"
* Schlager, "a hit" (German "schlagen", to hit or beat).
* Schuhplattler, a regional dance from Upper Bavaria and Austria
* Singspiel, German musical drama with spoken dialogue
* Sprechgesang, form of musical delivery between speech and singing
* Sturm und Drang, "storm and stress", a brief esthetic movement in German literature, just before Weimar Classicism
* Urtext, "original text (of the composer)"
* Volksmusic (German spelling: Volksmusik)
* Waltz (German spelling: Walzer)
Philosophy
* An sich, in itself
* Dasein
* Ding an sich, thing in itself from Kant
* Geist, mind, spirit or ghost
* Gott ist tot!, a popular phrase from Nietzsche; more commonly rendered "God is dead!" in English.
* Übermensch, also from Nietzsche; the ideal of a Superhuman or Overman.
* Weltanschauung, Worldview or View of the world
* Weltschmerz, World-weariness/World-pain, angst; despair with the World (often used ironically in German)
* Wertfreiheit, Freedom from value judgements; ethical neutrality (in a post-modernistic philosophy sense)
* Wille zur Macht, a central concept of Nietzsche's philosophy; it means "the Will to Power."
Physical sciences
* Ansatz, an assumption for a function that is not based on an underlying theory
* Aufbau principle (physical chemistry)
* Bauplan, body plan of animals
* Bremsstrahlung
* Entgegen and its opposite zusammen (organic chemistry)
* Föhn, also foehn, a warm wind which sometimes appears on the northern side of the alps in south Germany.
* Gedanken experiment (German spelling: Gedankenexperiment; more commonly referred to as a "thought experiment" in English.)
* Gegenschein
* Gerade and its opposite ungerade (quantum mechanics)
* Heiligenschein
* Lagerstätten, repositories
* Mischmetall, alloy.
* Rocks and minerals like Quartz (German spelling: Quarz), Gneiss and Feldspar (originally "Gneis" respectively "Feldspat"), Meerschaum
* Reststrahlen (residual rays)
* Sollbruchstelle, predetermined breaking point
* Spiegeleisen
* Umpolung (organic chemistry)
* Vierbein, and variations such as vielbein
* Zitterbewegung
* Zwitterion
Politics
* Machtpolitik, power politics
* Putsch, overthrow of those in power by a small group, coup d'etat
* Realpolitik, "politics of reality": foreign politics based on practical concerns rather than ideology or ethics.
* Rechtsstaat, concept of a state based on law and human rights
Psychology
* Angst, feeling of Fear, but more deeply and without concrete object.
(Many think the meaning is much more specific in English and the German Angst equals "fear". Yet, this is not true, as the German Furcht means fear. The difference is that Furcht is provoked by a specific object or occurrence, while Angst is a more general state of being that does not need to be initiated by anything concrete. It can happen autonomously, i.e. influenced by prior experience of Furcht without reason. Angst is more appropriately equated to the English concept of "anxiety.")
* Sorge, a state of worry, but (like Angst) in a less concrete, more general sense, worry about the world, one's future, etc.
* Gestalt (psychology; much narrower meaning than in German.)
* Schadenfreude (a malicious satisfaction obtained from the misfortunes of others)
* Umwelt, environment.
* Zeitgeber (lit. time-giver; something that resets the circadian clock found in the SCN.)
* Weltschmerz, world-pain or world-weariness
* Wunderkind, child prodigy. This has become a loanword in English.
Sociology
* Gemeinschaft (sociology; community.)
* Gesellschaft (sociology; society.)
* Weltanschauung
* Zeitgeist, spirit of the times or age
Theology
* Heilgeschichte (salvation history, God's positive saving actions throughout history)
* Sitz im Leben (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:
* Autobahn — particularly common in British English and American English referring specifically to German motorways which have no general speed limit.
* Achtung — Literally, "attention" in English.
* Frau and Fräulein — Woman and young woman or girl, respectively in English. Indicating marital state, with Frau — Mrs. and Fräulein — Ms.; in Germany, however, the diminutive Fräulein was officially abandoned from common usage in the late 1960s. Regardless of marital status, a woman is now to be referred to as Frau, and Fräulein has come to be perceived as insulting.
* Führer (umlaut is usually dropped in English) — always used in English to denote Hitler or to connote a Fascistic leader — never used, as is possible in German, simply and unironically to denote a (non-Fascist) leader, (i.e. Bergführer = mountain guide, Stadtführer = city guide, Führerschein = driving licence etc.)
* Gott mit uns, (in German means "God be with us"), the motto of the Prussian emperor, it 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 — evokes German context; Literally the German equivalent of Mr./Mister (derived from the adjective hehr, meaning "honourable" or "senior"). In a religious environment it means Lord.
* Lederhosen (Singular Lederhose in German denotes one pair of leather short pants or trousers. The original Bavarian word is Lederhosn, which is both singular and plural.)
* Leitmotif (German spelling: Leitmotiv) Any sort of recurring theme, whether in music, literature, or the life of a fictional character or a real person.
* Meister — used as a suffix to mean expert (Maurermeister), or master; in Germany it means also champion in sports (Weltmeister, Europameister, Landesmeister)
* Nein, no
* Raus — used to mean Out!
* Reich — to English speakers, Reich does not denote its literal meaning, "empire", but strongly connotes Nazism and is often used to suggest Fascism or authoritarianism, e.g., "Herr Reichsminister" used as a title for a disliked politician. German reich as an adjective means "rich", as a noun it means "empire" and "realm".
* 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.
* Schnell! — Fast!
* Kommandant — officer or person in command, especially of a military camp or U-Boat. (Applies regardless of military rank, in distinction to the English "commander".)
* Schweinhund (German spelling: Schweinehund) — literally: Schwein = pig, Hund = dog, Vulgarism like in der verdammte Schweinehund. But also used to describe the lack of motivation (for example to quit a bad habit) Den inneren Schweinehund bekämpfen. = to battle the inner pig-dog.
German terms rarely used in English
This is the unsorted, original list. If a term is common in a particular academic discipline, and there is no more commonly used English equivalent, then please move it to the list above.
* Aha-Erlebnis literally "aha experience" eg "Eureka".
* Fahrvergnugen (German spelling: Fahrvergnügen, literally pleasure of driving. Coined for a Volkswagen advertising campaign; caused widespread puzzlement in America when it was used in television commercials with no explanation.)
* Gastarbeiter — a German "guest worker"
* Gemütlich — "comfortably"
* Kobold — translated as "Goblin", "Hobgoblin, and "Imp"; the role playing game Dungeons & Dragons has included Kobolds (as well as creatures called "Goblins", "Imps" and "Hobgoblins" in completely separate forms) as part of the bestiary for a number of editions, including the current edition, 3.5. Kobold is also the origin of the name of the metal cobalt.
* Schmutz (smut, dirt, filth). This term is, however, particularly popular in New York, reflecting the influence of the Yiddish language.
* Schwanz (tail). A synonym for penis.
* ... über Alles (originally "Deutschland über Alles" (actually this sentence meant to propagate a united Germany instead of small separated German Territories only); now used by extension in other cases, as in the Dead Kennedys song "California Über Alles"). This part of the Lied der Deutschen (Song of the Germans) is not part of the national anthem today, as it is thought to have been used to propagate the attitude of racial and national superiority in Nazi Germany, as in the phrase "Germany over all".
* Ur- (as a prefix to mean "proto-")
* Vorsprung durch Technik ('headstart through technology'): used in an advertising campaign by Audi, to suggest technical excellence
* Zweihander (German spelling: Zweihänder)
valtl - 29. Jul, 13:09
