This term he notes as meaning "independencedeclarations" (sic), which is perhaps a parchment-saving way our own Declaration of Independence could have been titled. Twain's frustrations with learning German are well documented in his book A Tramp Abroad. And to think we English language speakers consider it a feat to verbalize "antidisestablishmentarianism" without stumbling.Īs David Sedaris noted in his New Yorker article about learning German, this word is most astutely described as another option for "partner" or "lover," but with a more transient twist: "the person I am with today." A more elegant, proper version of the term is lebensabschnittgefährte. What follows are 10 of our favorite seemingly-never-ending German words, which earn a spot on our list thanks to characteristics like technicality, definition, adaptation, or sheer perseverance in length. As Mark Twain put it, "Some German words are so long that they have perspective." One legged viking standing in front of a viking tent. CAKE: These sweet baked treats get their name from the Old Norse kaka, which is what the Vikings used to describe a little cake. As a result, the language is rife with lanky terms. German Words with English Translations Altersschwache - weakness of old age, Hitziges Fieber, Kopfhtizig - brain fever Aussatz - leprosy, Husten - cough. The word comes from the Old Norse rangr, which the Danes shifted to vrang, and in English eventually became wrong. Compound words exist in many languages, but German's grammar construction in particular lends itself to easily tacking on parts to make single words stretch across a page.
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