# German words used in English language? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 6, 2003, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304 "2003-08-06T11:25:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![littlekid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@littlekid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/littlekid)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/1 "2003-08-06T11:25:23Z")
What German words are commonly used in the US? Apart from ‘kindergarten’ I can’t think of any right now. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/2 "2003-08-06T11:30:03Z")
Off the top of my head, zeitgeist, sauerkraut, gesundheit, schadenfreude. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/3 "2003-08-06T11:31:35Z")
I don’t know how common this is, but I heard Shardenfrauder(sp?) on the Simpson’s. Just in case I completely mangled the spelling, it’s the word which means taking sinful pleasure in anothers downfall. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/4 "2003-08-06T11:38:14Z")
gestalt gotterdamerung Goethe ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/5 "2003-08-06T11:42:41Z")
Delicatessen Volkswagen ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/6 "2003-08-06T11:56:29Z")
Zugzwang for chess-nuts ---
**Author:** ![littlekid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@littlekid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/littlekid)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/7 "2003-08-06T12:00:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Carl\_A\_Norris \* > \*\*I don’t know how common this is, but I heard Shardenfrauder(sp?) on the Simpson’s. Just in case I completely mangled the spelling, it’s the word which means taking sinful pleasure in anothers downfall. \*\* The correct spelling is ‘Schadenfreude’ - like jjimm wrote. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/8 "2003-08-06T12:02:24Z")
Wurst Wiener Frankfurter Pretzel (from bretzel) Lager Pilsener … but most of all: Hamburger ---
**Author:** ![mr-monday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@mr-monday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr-monday)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/9 "2003-08-06T12:04:25Z")
Zeitgeist is another ---
**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/10 "2003-08-06T12:15:43Z")
Angst ersatz Fahrvergnuegen Mensch Weltschmerz ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/91b2a8/32.png) [@Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_of_Sandwhich)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/11 "2003-08-06T12:20:20Z")
blitzkrieg putsch juggernaut doppelganger bildungsroman ---
**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/12 "2003-08-06T12:21:38Z")
> [@](#): > > **Herr Montag** > Zeitgeist is another **jjimm** already mentioned that, but he forgot to capitalize it. -1 for redundancy; +1 for proper capitalization. ---
**Author:** ![Gest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Gest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gest)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/13 "2003-08-06T12:22:28Z")
Arm, Finger, Hand, Ball, and Gift\*. ---
**Author:** ![Gest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Gest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gest)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/14 "2003-08-06T12:25:29Z")
I forgot Gymnasium. Also with an asterisk. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/15 "2003-08-06T12:26:01Z")
There are more English words of German origin than any other language. For instance: the me I have hand mouse street thank fart eat sleep ring English is a Germanic language, after all. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/16 "2003-08-06T12:27:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mr-monday \* > \*\*Zeitgeist is another \*\* … already mentioned by **jjimm**. Welcome to the Dope! Some more: Bauhaus Blitz, blitzkrieg Howitzer Reich Führer Nazi Doberman Rottweiler Hamster Doppler Kitsch Edelweiss Eigenvector, eigenvalue Poltergeist Glockenspiel Leitmotiv Lied Realpolitik über-something That’s about all I can think of. ---
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/17 "2003-08-06T12:48:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Earl of Sandwhich \* > \*\* > juggernaut > \*\* My dictionary lists “juggernaut” as Sanskrit in origin. It’s pretty old, though, so it may not be correct… ---
**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/18 "2003-08-06T12:56:55Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by nineiron_ > My dictionary lists “juggernaut” as Sanskrit in origin. It’s pretty old, though, so it may not be correct… I’ll back you up on that. John Ayto’s Dictionary of Word Origins, © 1990, agrees with the Sanskrit etymology. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/19 "2003-08-06T13:01:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by amore ac studio \* > \*\ ***jjimm** already mentioned that, but he forgot to capitalize it. > > -1 for redundancy; +1 for proper capitalization. \*\* Ah, but are we, as writers of English, required to capitalize German nouns if we’ve borrowed them? ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/20 "2003-08-06T13:54:03Z")
> [@](#): > > My dictionary lists “juggernaut” as Sanskrit in origin. It’s pretty old, though, so it may not be correct… May have come through german, either old german from the Angles, Jutes, and Saxons or direct borrowing thereafter. > [@](#): > > Ah, but are we, as writers of English, required to capitalize German nouns if we’ve borrowed them No. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304.md?page=2)