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 accent 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

[edit] 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 recognisable outside its relevant context.

[edit] Food and drink

  • Bagel
  • Beergarden (German spelling: Biergarten)
  • Bratwurst (sometimes abbv. brat)
  • Cookbook (from the German Kochbuch)
  • Delicatessen (modern German spelling: Delikatessen; abbv. deli)
  • Hamburger
  • Frankfurter
  • Kirschwasser (in U.S. English only)
  • Kohlrabi
  • Kraut (in U.S. English only — in British English this is a derisive term for Germans)
  • Lager (beer)
  • Liverwurst (from the German Leberwurst)
  • 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

[edit] 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 (United States — Soccer); 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.
  • 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

[edit] 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
  • Hinterland: the rural land, backwoods
  • Gesundheit (German: "good 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 ("get-together")
  • 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 ; compaer 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 sapiens 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
  • Schmooze (German schmusen, "to cuddle")
  • 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, über-hacker, über-fast, 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")

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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, illustration of the interdependence between chapters of a book.
  • Methodenstreit, disagreement on methodology
  • Privatdozent
  • Doktorvater, dissertation advisor

[edit] Architecture

[edit] Arts

[edit] Theatre

[edit] Biology

[edit] Economics

[edit] Geography

[edit] Geology

Minerals including:

[edit] History

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

[edit] Das Dritte Reich (The Third Reich)

See Glossary of the Weimar Republic and Glossary of the Third Reich.

[edit] Other historical periods

[edit] 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")

[edit] 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, the correct word for the climbing hardware is "Karabinerhaken" in German
  • Kriegspiel, war game; correct German word: Kriegsspiel)
  • Luftwaffe, air force
  • Panzer refers to armoured tanks and other vehicles, or formations of such armoured 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)

[edit] Military ranks

[edit] Linguistics

[edit] Literature

[edit] Mathematics and formal logic

[edit] Medicine

[edit] Music

[edit] Philosophy

[edit] Physical sciences

[edit] Politics

  • Machtpolitik, power politics
  • Putsch, overthrow of those in power by a small group, coup d'etat
  • Realpolitik, literal translation: "politics of reality" — foreign politics based on practical concerns rather than theory or ethics.
  • Rechtsstaat, concept of a state based on law and human rights

[edit] 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.)
  • 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.

[edit] Sociology

[edit] Theology

  • Heilgeschichte (salvation history, God's positive saving actions throughout history)
  • Sitz im Leben (setting in life, context)

[edit] 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; but when used with military titles (Herr Oberst), it may connote the Nazi era to English listeners. 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.

[edit] 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".
  • Ersatz — substitute, replacement, not the real thing
  • 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)

[edit] Quotations

Many 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
  • 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
  • Ein Gespenst geht um in Europa — das Gespenst des Kommunismus: "A spectre is haunting Europe — the spectre of communism" — the Communist Manifesto
  • Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt euch!: "Workers of the world, unite!" — the Communist Manifesto
  • 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 shall know" — David Hilbert
  • Was kann ich wissen? Was soll ich tun? Was darf ich hoffen?: "What can I know? What ought I to do? What may I hope?" — Kant
  • 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 can do no other. 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" — Wittgenstein

[edit] Music

For terms used in music, see above.

[edit] Meanings of German band names

  • Böhse Onkelz = (correct German spelling: böse Onkel, although it should be noted that "Onkels" is itself an incorrect plural form of "Onkel", the correct plural being "Onkel" without the s) "evil uncles," a term used in German as a euphemism for child molesters. The wrong spelling is done to "harden" its appearance (h in this context amplifies the ö; z is pronounced ts in German, and sounds sharper than s). The umlaut over the o in Böhse is not a heavy metal umlaut.
  • Die Ärzte = (medical) doctors, a German Punkrock band.
  • Die Sterne = the stars (celestial body)
  • Die Toten Hosen = literally the dead trousers. A slang expression for a boring place to be (only used in certain regions) and a German Rock band. It can also refer to impotence.
  • Dschinghis Khan = The German spelling of Genghis Khan.
  • Einstürzende Neubauten = "collapsing new buildings". For the band this evokes the image of buildings built during the postwar era, which were very hastily erected, hence supposedly prone to collapse.
  • KMFDM = Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid (literally "no majority for the pity," which is a grammatically incorrect "headline clipping" style rearrangement of "Kein Mitleid für die Mehrheit" or "no pity for the masses.")
  • Kraftwerk = power plant
  • Neu! = new!
  • Wir sind Helden = we are heroes
  • Rammstein = "ramming stone" (literal) or "battering ram" (figurative), refers to the Ramstein airshow disaster. Some translate it as "[stone] hammerhead"
  • Silbermond = literally silver moon. A German Popband.
  • Juli = July.

[edit] See also:

[edit] Classical music works

[edit] Carols and hymns

[edit] Modern songs

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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