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List of German expressions in English

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Below is a list of German expressions used in English. Some are relatively common (such as hamburger or gestalt), but most are comparatively rare. In many cases, the German borrowing in English has assumed a substantially different meaning than its German forebear.


English and German are both descended from the West Germanic language, though their relationship has been obscured by the large influx of Norman French words into English from the Norman Conquest of 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 accent over Ä, Ö, Ü, ä, ö and ü) of the original artifact.


German words have been incorporated into English usage for various reasons.  Common cultural items, especially foods, have spread to English-speaking nations and are often identified by their German or German-sounding names.  The history of excellence among German-speaking nations in science, scholarship, and classical music has led to many German words being adopted by academics for use in English contexts.  Discussion of German history and culture requires use of German words.  Lastly, some German words are used simply to a fictional passage by implying that the thing being expressed is German, as in Frau or Reich, although sometimes the use of German terms has no German implication, as in doppelganger or angst.


English and German are descended from the same common ancestor, called Proto-Germanic.  Because of this, a number of English words are identical to their German counterparts either in spelling (Hand, Finger) or in pronunciation (Fish = Fisch).  These words are excluded from this list.





Contents





German terms commonly used in English

Words in this category will be recognized by most English speakers and are commonly used in English.  A few, such as delicatessen and hinterland, are often used without awareness that they are originally German.  It should be noted that some words in this list (hamburger, kindergarten) are more common than others (ersatz, wanderlust).



Food and drink



Sports and recreation



Other aspects of everyday life



German terms commonly used in academic contexts in English

German terms frequently appear in several academic disciplines in English, notably in history, psychology, philosophy, music and the physical sciences. Non-specialists in a given field may or may not be familiar with a given German term.



Academia



Architecture



Biology



Economics



Geography



Geology

Minerals including:


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



Noble titles



General military terms



Military ranks



Linguistics



Literature



Mathematics and formal logic



Medicine






Philosophy



Physical sciences



Psychology



Sociology



Theatre



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:





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.





Music

For terms used in music, see above.

Meanings of German 

  • Böhse Onkelz = (correct German spelling: böse Onkels, 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 Prinzen = the princes
  • Die Sterne = the stars (has nothing to with the english term star, a famous person is call a star in German too)
  • Die Toten Hosen = literally 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.
  • 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.
  • Fettes Brot = fat bread, Hamburg dialect for good stuff
  • Juli = July
  • KMFDM = Keine Mehrheit für das Mitleid (The correct German form is Kein Mitleid für die Mehrheit, no pity for the majority).
  • Kraftwerk = power plant
  • Nena Named after the nickname of its singer, Gabriele Susanne Kerner
  • Propaganda - named after the wartime practise of disseminating information (see Propaganda).
  • Wir sind Helden = we are heroes
  • Rammstein = "ramming stone" (literal) or "battering ram" (figurative), might refer to the Ramstein Air Base. Some translate it as "[stone] hammerhead"
  • Silbermond = silver moon

See also: Krautrock: "Kraut (= cabbage) rock". A German-like English name for a variety of German rock music.



Classical music works



See also



External links















 




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