List of 35 English Words That Originated From German
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For every order ProofreadingServices.com processes, we donate one book to a homeless shelter. If you'd like to support our social mission, you can order proofreading, translation, or resume writing.
Seeking examples of words that entered English from a certain language? See this list of such terms. In this collection of terms you'll find English words that originated from German.
German is spoken in Germany, with stark dialectical differences between regions such as Bavaria, Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Baden-Württemberg. It’s also spoken in Switzerland, Austria, and Liechtenstein, with their own unique dialects.
Word | Origin |
strudel | Strudel |
autobahn | Auto + Bahn |
Bauhaus | Bauhaus |
bildungsroman | Bildung ("education") + Roman ("novel") |
blitz | Blitzkrieg |
carabiner | Karabinerhaken |
dachshund | Dachs ("badger") + Hund ("dog") |
delicatessen | Delikatessen |
doppelgänger | Doppelgänger |
edelweiss | Edelweiß |
feldspar | Feldspat |
fest | Fest |
gedankenexperiment | Gedankenexperiment |
gesundheit | gesund ("healthy") + -heit ("-hood") |
Götterdämmerung | Götterdämmerung |
kaput | kaputt |
katzenjammer | Katze ("cat") + Jammer ("distress") |
kindergarten | Kinder ("children") + Garten ("garden") |
kuchen | Kuchen |
lederhosen | Lederhose |
leitmotif | Leitmotiv |
liverwurst | Leberwurst |
Neanderthal | Neanderthal |
noodle | Nudel |
panzer | Panzer |
poltergeist | poltern ("to knock") + Geist ("ghost") |
sauerkraut | sauer ("sour") + Kraut ("greens") |
schadenfreude | Schaden ("damage") + Freude ("joy") |
waltz | Walzer |
wanderlust | wandern ("to wander") + Lust ("desire") |
Weltanschauung | Welt ("world") + Anschauung ("view") |
wunderkind | Wunder ("wonder") + Kind ("child") |
zeitgeist | Zeit ("time") + Geist ("spirit") |
zeppelin | Zeppelin |
zugzwang | Zug ("move") + Zwang ("compulsion") |