Gardemaß
German
Etymology
From Garde (“guard”) + Maß (“measure, size”).
Noun
Gardemaß n (strong, genitive Gardemaßes, plural Gardemaße)
- (military, historical) the minimum height required for service in an elite “guard” regiment
- (by extension, informal) a required or preferred height in any context, tallness as such
Usage notes
- The Prussian Gardemaß is often claimed to have been 188 cm, but this applied only to the so-called Lange Kerls (“long fellows”), a particular representative regiment at Potsdam (dissolved in 1806). The general Gardemaß appears to have varied between 170 and 180 cm.
Declension
Declension of Gardemaß [neuter, strong]
| singular | plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indef. | def. | noun | def. | noun | |
| nominative | ein | das | Gardemaß | die | Gardemaße |
| genitive | eines | des | Gardemaßes | der | Gardemaße |
| dative | einem | dem | Gardemaß, Gardemaße1 | den | Gardemaßen |
| accusative | ein | das | Gardemaß | die | Gardemaße |
1Now uncommon, see notes.