Have you ever had Haribo gummy bears? Delicious, right? Well, did you know that the term “gummy bear” is a calque from the German Gummibär?Ĭalque is a linguistic term that refers to a direct translation from another language. According to several sources, it dates back only to the 60s, when it was borrowed from the Yiddish version of the German word glitzern, “to sparkle.” 8. GlitzĪnother surprising entry, glitz is a more recent borrowing. You may have known about words like Schadenfreude and Zeitgeist, but the German origins of zigzag is quite the surprise, isn’t it? 7. Zigzag is an anglicization of the German term zickzack, which means the same exact thing. How much cuter would English be if we said people “hamstered” toilet paper?Īnother fun fact – apparently, before the word “hamster” caught on in English, it was called a “German rat”! 6. This meaning likely comes from hamsters’ tendency to store food in their cheeks. Today, the verb hamstern in German can refer to storing large quantities. You can read more about the linguistic origins of this fascinating term here. This word descends from Middle High German, which in turn borrowed it from Old Church Slavonic’s chomestoru. Yes, hamster is also originally a German word, borrowed around the 1600s from der Hamster.

Gesundheit, the German word for “health,” is also used in the German-speaking world for “bless you.” In English, however, particularly in North America, there are also people who use Gesundheit after someone sneezes. One of my favorite German loanwords, “kitsch” is the perfect way to describe something just the right mix of tacky and outdated. Kinder, the plural of Kind “child,” is an irregular plural – one of the German language’s funny quirks.

What if we called a Kindergarten a “childrens’ garden”? That’s what this German loanword literally means, being made up of Kinder and Garten. Yes, you read that right – the English word “iceberg” comes from the German word Eisberg, or “ice mountain.” 2.

And the Best Is… We Use Even More Words of German Origin!Įveryday English Words That Come from German Words 1.

German Words, Literary Terms and Abstract Concepts.Everyday English Words That Come from German Words.

Basic german words in english