# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/21 "2003-08-06T14:05:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by amore ac studio \* > \*\*I’ll back you up on that. John Ayto’s Dictionary of Word Origins, ? 1990, agrees with the Sanskrit etymology. \*\* Yep juggernaut is defintely Indian, it’s an avatar of Vishnu in Hindu folklore and it’s one of the many words that English borrowed from the Indian languages during the time of the British Raj. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/22 "2003-08-06T14:07:47Z")
not so common, but still used occassionally: weltanshauung (“world view/outlook” … used in philosophy) katzenjammer zaftig (but this may also be via Yiddish) ---
**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, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/23 "2003-08-06T22:24:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MC Master of Ceremonies \* > \*\*Yep juggernaut is defintely Indian, it’s an avatar of Vishnu in Hindu folklore and it’s one of the many words that English borrowed from the Indian languages during the time of the British Raj. \*\* And I simply assumed it was German. I guess I am not the language-meister I thought I was. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/24 "2003-08-06T22:29:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gest \* > \*\*I forgot Gymnasium. Also with an asterisk. \*\* Did I miss something here? How is this a German word? ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/25 "2003-08-06T22:32:00Z")
Do we use the word _Schlimmverbesserung_\*\* in English? I forget since I’m fairly fluent in German, and can’t remember if I"ve come across the word in English. \*=a bad “improvement”, i.e. a change that was supposed to make something better but made it worse instead. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/26 "2003-08-06T23:23:34Z")
An [old thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?&threadid=62948) on this topic. Note that there are several lists in that previous thread with numerous German-derived words. > [@](#): > > Do we use the word _Schlimmverbesserung_\* (\*=a bad “improvement”) Never heard it before, but we sure could use a word with that meaning. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/27 "2003-08-07T00:07:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MonkeyMensch \* > \*\*Did I miss something here? > > How is this a German word? \*\* Not German in origin, but a German word, and mentioned by **Gest** as one of those false friends in German. If you are not on the lookout for those false friends you might find yourself a bit underdressed in the **Gymnasium** , when given a **Gift** beverage drink it and then disappear into the **Mist**. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/28 "2003-08-07T03:31:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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. \*\* Oh, right. Like when a clown dies. ---
**Author:** ![Qwfwq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/919ad9/32.png) [@Qwfwq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwfwq)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/29 "2003-08-07T04:18:07Z")
echt gemutlich blitz kaiser strudel lieder, lied, liederhosen pretzel panzer Oktoberfest, lager, Pilsener And what’s the one from the VW ads? Farfignugen, or something ---
**Author:** ![Lateralus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@Lateralus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lateralus)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/30 "2003-08-07T05:40:13Z")
What about ‘O.K.’, which I think is German for _ol korrect_. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/31 "2003-08-07T05:41:18Z")
A truly excellent German word that deserves to catch on, as it represents in one word a concept not equally expressible in English (like “Gestalt” or “Zeitgeist” or “Schadenfreude”), is **Treppenwitz.** Literally “wit of the stairs,” it means the joke or riposte or other response that comes to mind after the fact, too late to actually use. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/32 "2003-08-07T05:48:10Z")
I should clarify that I picked up “Treppenwitz” in a Snopes story; I personally speak only a smattering of German. Oh, and **Lateralus** , [close, but not quite](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_250.html). ---
**Author:** ![Qwfwq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/919ad9/32.png) [@Qwfwq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwfwq)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/33 "2003-08-07T05:58:18Z")
I’m not sure about this “wit of the staircase” word–I studied French lit, not German, but “l’esprit de l’escalier” was used in the 18th century, maybe earlier. I know British essayists like Rebecca West and Malcolm Muggeridge use the French term. I suspect the German word is derived from the French, as its a literal translation. Or maybe vice versa. In any case, it’s a good concept ---
**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/34 "2003-08-07T06:12:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qwfwq \* > \*\* > lieder, lied, liederhosen > \*\* Methinks you meant _Lederhosen_. Perhaps _Leder_, too, though _lieder_ is also a word. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/35 "2003-08-07T06:42:04Z")
Isn’t _echt_ a Dutch word? ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/36 "2003-08-07T08:03:10Z")
A student of linguistics once told me that American English is in some ways even more Germanic than English English - for example, you hear long constructions in AE like “The 1992 presidential election campaign” - echos of those huge compound nouns and heavy sentences one finds in German. Anyone else heard of this? ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/37 "2003-08-07T08:15:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by I Love Me, Vol. I \* > \*\*Isn’t _echt_ a Dutch word? \*\* _echt_ is a word in Dutch and in German, meaning ‘real’, ‘genuine’. The usage may be slightly different,\* but overlaps mostly. - See this[translation](http://www.wordreference.com/de/en/translation.asp?deen=echt), which mentions ‘echter Bruch’. In Dutch it would be ‘correct’ or ‘kloppend’ or so. ---
**Author:** ![littlekid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@littlekid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/littlekid)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/38 "2003-08-07T09:42:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DarrenS \* > \*\*A student of linguistics once told me that American English is in some ways even more Germanic than English English - for example, you hear long constructions in AE like “The 1992 presidential election campaign” - echos of those huge compound nouns and heavy sentences one finds in German. Anyone else heard of this? \*\* I always sensed this … I may be wrong but isn’t it, that: German Theater = BE theatre = AE theater So, AE keeps the ‘German’ -er instead of changing it to -re like in BE. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/39 "2003-08-07T09:49:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RealityChuck \* > \*\*English is a Germanic language, after all. \*\* You’re confusing “German origin” and “Germanic origin”. Many English words are of Germanic origin, which means they came from what linguists call proto-Germanic, the (lost) ancestor language of all modern Germanic languages. But “of German origin” means that the words came from the modern language known as German. As far as I’m aware none of the words you listed are of German origin. ---
**Author:** ![Popup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@Popup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Popup)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2003, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304/40 "2003-08-07T11:54:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by littlekid \* > \*\*I always sensed this … > > I may be wrong but isn’t it, that: > > German Theater = BE theatre = AE theater > > So, AE keeps the ‘German’ -er instead of changing it to -re like in BE. \*\* No. Please try to do some research before posting such nonsense to a board dedicated to fighting ignorance. According to [Merriam-Webster](http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=theater) > [@](#): > > Etymology: Middle English theatre, from Middle French, from Latin theatrum, from Greek theatron, from theasthai to view, from thea act of seeing; akin to Greek thauma miracle I haven’t got my **Duden** here, but I would guess that the German word Theater came from French, and the spelling was adapted to suit the prononciation. (Just like the AE spelling is a recent simplification (by Noah Webster?). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-words-used-in-english-language/193304.md?page=3)