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[-] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 80 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

You're just jealous that we can actually understand what our words mean instead of copying them wholesale from latin or french (which we also do, just not as much).

[-] pyre@lemmy.world 40 points 1 month ago

agreed. plus everything can be funny if you just translate it word for word, even though in almost all languages the meaning for the original words barely cross people's minds when they use compound words.

eg:

German: Kamin

French: Cheminée

Spanish: Chimenea

English: FIREPLACE!

like fucking cavemen

[-] HairyHarry@lemmy.world 17 points 1 month ago

I counter:

French: briquet

Spanish: mechero

English: lighter

German: Feuerzeug => FIRE THING

Who's the caveman now?

[-] Affidavit@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago
[-] pyre@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

same origin, not the same meaning.

[-] Affidavit@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

But yeah, fireplace just sounds so much cooler...

Although... Why not... Fire shoe? Yeah, that's even better.

Fire shoe it is. I'll let Oxford know.

[-] Chronographs@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 month ago

Also not the same thing, the fireplace is the part where the fire goes, the chimney is the part above it that makes it so you don’t die of smoke inhalation

[-] Affidavit@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

'Fire shoe' encompasses both meanings satisfactorily.

[-] Affidavit@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

I'll have you know that the history of 'gloves' in English goes back long before the Norman conquest; the roots in English are neither from French nor Latin.

What I really want to know is if shoes in German are called 'fußglof'?

If you say, 'yes', then I really will be jealous. I want a foot glove...

[-] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago

Fußhandschuhe

[-] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 4 points 1 month ago

No, they're called 'Läderlappen'.

[-] HairyHarry@lemmy.world 42 points 1 month ago

German is easy:

gloves = Handschuhe => hand shoes

scarf = Halsschuh => neck shoe

condom = Schwanzschuh => dick shoe

[-] Affidavit@lemmy.world 39 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Wow, you're right. German really is amazing!

mittens = Faustschuhe => fist shoes

hat = Kopfschuh => head shoe

glasses = Augenschuhe => eye shoes

earrings = Ohrschuhe => ear shoes

mask = Gesichtsschuh => face shoe

bra = Brustschuhe => breast shoes

shirt = Rumpfschuh => torso shoe

pants = Beinschuhe => leg shoes

helmet = Gehirnschuh => brain shoe

diaper = Babyschambereichschuh => baby shame-area shoe

[-] ouch@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

So, germans have a foot fetish?

[-] HairyHarry@lemmy.world 22 points 1 month ago

No. It's more about the shoes.

[-] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 26 points 1 month ago

Robot -> Das Bipenböpenmann

Guitar -> Die Stringenstick

To die -> Endenleib

[-] FooBarrington@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

My favorite song is "Wir sind die Bibenböpenmannen" by Kraftwerk

[-] blockheadjt@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 month ago

Whoever decided that first one was high off their ass

[-] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.org 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Woooosh. It's closer to der Roboter, die Gitarre, sterben.

It doesn't matter how robot your robot is, German robots are Roboter.

You can say "die in hell" in a shoe store to ask for a different pair of shoes.

[-] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io 12 points 1 month ago

Japanese Tebukuro - Hand Socks

[-] fireweed@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago

It's worse than that, it means hand bags (手袋)

[-] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io 3 points 1 month ago

Worse, better who can say?

[-] brown567@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 month ago

Handschuhe und Pferdegranaten

[-] blackris@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Are you joking or do you really think, the second one is a word used in german? I cannot tell. It is not.

[-] brown567@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 month ago

It's a reference to the saying "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades"

The second word is a (probably poorly, I hardly know any German) made-up compound word for "horse grenades", so it's handshoes and horse grenades instead

[-] trinsec@piefed.social 9 points 1 month ago
[-] Affidavit@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Does Dutch keep both forms?

I believe both Old English and Old High German kept both the compound word (hand shoe) and the singular word (e.g. glōf) before eventually choosing one and discarding the other. I'm curious if there are any Germanic languages that have kept both forms into the modern era.

[-] trinsec@piefed.social 2 points 1 month ago

We have 'handschoenen'. It's used a lot.

[-] bluesheep@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago

The alternative closest to glove I'd say would be "want(en)", but it's not nearly used as much as "handschoen(en)" - hand shoes.

[-] trinsec@piefed.social 3 points 1 month ago

Wanten would actually be mittens. Gloves where all the fingers are fused together. Mostly used by kids or cooks (the ovenwanten 😋).

[-] SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

the French word gant has the same etymological root as the Dutch word want

[-] ohwhatfollyisman@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

ist das aus baunwolle gemacht?

[-] palordrolap@fedia.io 6 points 1 month ago

I've read enough clothing labels to know that that should be Baumwolle. Tree wool. Because of course cotton is "tree wool" in German.

[-] Affidavit@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Tree wool.

Okay, that is really cool. I think German wins here.

[-] arschflugkoerper@feddit.org 5 points 1 month ago
[-] rockerface@lemm.ee 4 points 1 month ago

that one is more common across languages than pineapple tho

this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2025
457 points (100.0% liked)

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