| English words rooted in German {A Wordlist} |
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| ENGLISH |
GERMAN |
COMMENTS/EXAMPLES |
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| angst |
Angst |
In German means simply fear; in English much stronger, often in the context of a neurotic depression or anxiety
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| blitzkrieg |
Blitzkrieg |
Undeclared war, taking the enemy by surprise
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| ersatz- |
Ersatz |
Replacement or substitute
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| fahrvergnuegen |
Fahrvergnügen |
Introduced by VW commercials, now conversational, e.g. "I love the fahrvergnuegen of that car"
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| flak |
Flak |
to receive flak over sth., to receive resistance or criticism (Flak is an acronym: Flugabwehrkannone = Air defense cannon)
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| fledermaus |
Fledermaus |
[requires more research; name of Opera]
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| gestalt |
Gestalt |
"Graphic design which evokes the symmeteria of Vitruvious, the dynamic symmetry of Hambidge, the asymmetery of Mondrian; which is a good gestalt, generated by intuition or by computer, by invention or by a system of coordinates is not good design if it does not communicate." (Paul Rand)
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| gesundheit |
Gesundheit |
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| glockenspiel |
Glockenspiel |
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| kindergarten |
Kindergarten |
What is kindergarten in the US is nursery or pre-school in Germany; the German equivalent to the US kindergarten is called Vorschule, which means pre-school
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| kitsch |
Kitsch |
Yiddisch roots (?)
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| lebensraum |
Lebensraum |
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| mob |
Mob |
[requires more research]
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| poltergeist |
Poltergeist |
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| rucsac |
Rucksack |
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| schnitzel |
Schnitzel |
All-time favorite pork dish
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| schnap(p)s |
Schnapps |
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| schlepp |
schleppen |
carrying heavy items
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| schmaltzy |
Schmaltzig |
Ridculous, cheesy; in German also cooking fat
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| schmooze |
schmusen |
cuddling, flirting
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| strafe |
strafen |
1. low-altitude attack by plane using fixed armaments 2. (in a
first-person shooter like Quake) to walk sideways while firing ahead
(originates from attacks German fighter pilots used to fly against enemy
trenches in WWI as punishment (Strafe))
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| ueberstarlet |
[composite] |
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| wanderlust |
Wanderlust |
New York Times from 23 Febr.1998: Headline: The Price of WANDERLUST. Article about workers traveling from state to state faced with problems cacluating their taxes. Same usage as in German.
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| weltschmerz |
Wanderlust |
- The "old ennui"; carrying the burden of the world.
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| wunderkind |
Wunderkind |
Very gifted child, like Mozart
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| zeitgeist |
Zeitgeist |
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Thanks to Albrecht Behmel and Hendrik Mell for their contributions to the list. |
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