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

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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).

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Food and drink

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Sports and recreation

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Other aspects of everyday life

  • Angst (though the meaning is much more specific in English.)
  • -bahn as in Infobahn, tongue-in-cheek term for high-capacity data networks (after Autobahn)
  • Dachshund (a word that Germans rarely use; they say 'Dackel')
  • Doberman Pinscher (German spelling: Dobermannpinscher, Germans often just say 'Dobermann')
  • Doppelganger (German spelling: Doppelgänger) - "double" or "replica"
  • Ersatz, "substitute", derogatory
  • 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 criticized
  • Hinterland
  • Gesundheit (in US English, only used as an exclamation after somebody has sneezed)
  • kaput (German spelling: kaputt)
  • Kindergarten, extremely common – literally: children’s garden
  • Kitsch (also used in Yiddish, but derivative of German)
  • Kraut, as a derogatory term for a German person. Uncommon nowadays, but current during World War I and World War II
  • -meister, "Master" - in modern English used primarily with sarcastic intent
  • Neanderthal (modern German spelling: Neandertal), lit. "Neander Valley".
  • Oktoberfest - A German Beer Festival held annually in Munich between September and October
  • Poltergeist - 'rumbling 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 dog of a German breed 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 is better or greater, e.g. über-hacker, über-fast, confer Übermensch
  • Verboten (prohibited or forbidden)
  • Volkswagen proper name in English; usually read with English phonetics (i.e. initial sound as an English v rather than an f; w as an English w, rather than a v)
  • Wanderlust the yearning to travel
  • Weltanschauung - World-view, underlying assumptions about reality.
  • Wunderkind, "wonder child", a prodigy
  • Zeitgeist "spirit of the times"
  • Zeppelin, type of airship named after its inventor
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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.

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Academia

  • Ansatz, basic approach
  • Festschrift, book prepared by colleagues to honor a scholar
  • Leitfaden, illustration of the interdependence between chapters of a book.
  • Methodenstreit, disagreement on methodology
  • Privatdozent
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Architecture

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Economics

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Geography

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Geology

Minerals including:

  • Gneiss (German Gneis)
  • Karst
  • Quartz (German Quarz), ultimately of Slavic origin
  • Feldspar (German Feldspat)
  • Meerschaum
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History

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

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Das Dritte Reich (The Third Reich)

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

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Other historical periods

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Noble titles

  • Freiherr, 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"
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General military terms

  • Blitzkrieg
  • Flak (Flugabwehrkanone), anti-aircraft gun
  • Fliegerhorst
  • 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 (abbreviated form of Panzerkampfwagen but commonly called Panzer in Germany too)
  • Panzerfaust, "tank fist" rocket propelled anti-tank weapon
  • to strafe (from "strafen" or "bestrafen" - punish)
  • U-Boot (abbreviated form of Unterseeboot- submarine, but commonly called U-Boot in Germany too)
  • Vernichtungsgedanken (thoughts of destruction)
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Military ranks

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Linguistics

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Literature

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Mathematics and formal logic

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Medicine

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Music

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Philosophy

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Physical sciences

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Psychology

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Sociology

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Theatre

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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:

  • 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 early 1990s. 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 is 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 (a word with a german meaning all its own, literally: "someone who shovels dung at a farm")
  • Lederhosen (Singular Lederhose in German denotes one pair of leather trousers. The original Bavarian word is Lederhosn, which is both singular and plural.)
  • Meister — used as a suffix to mean expert ("Maurermeister"), or master; in germany it means also champion in sports ("Weltmeister," "Europameister," "Landesmeister")
  • Nein, "no"
  • Reich — to English speakers, "Reich" does not denote its literal meaning, "empire", but strongly connotes Naziism 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".
  • 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.
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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.

  • Autobahn — particularly common in British English referring specifically to German motorways which have no general speed limit
  • 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.)
  • Kobold
  • 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"; now used by extension in other cases, as in the Dead Kennedys song "California Über Alles"). Incidentally (and ironically), this part of the German national hymn has become prohibited by law after WW2, as it is thought to have been used to propagate the attitude of racial and national superiority in Nazi Germany, as in the phrase "shall rule over all".
  • Ur- (as a prefix to mean "proto-")
  • Vorsprung durch Technik ('advantage through technology'): used in an advertising campaign by Audi, to suggest technical excellence
  • Zweihander (German spelling: Zweihänder)
  • Dummkopf- This is an insult which translates as "dumb head".
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Music

For terms used in music, see above.

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Meanings of German band names

  • 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).
  • Die Ärzte = (medical) doctors, a German rock band.
  • Die Sterne = the stars
  • 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
  • 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 = named after Ramstein Air Base, but could mean "ramming stone" (literal) or "battering ram" (figurative).
  • Silbermond = silver moon

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

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Classical Music Works

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See also

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External links

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