Heuschrecke
German
eine Heuschrecke ― a grasshopper
Alternative forms
- Heuschreck m (Austria, Switzerland)
Etymology
From Middle High German höuschrecke, from Old High German houwiscrecko. Analysable as Heu (“hay”) + schrecken (“to jump up”). Originally a masculine that developed into a feminine under the influence of the frequently used plural (a common development in modern German); compare the southern alternative form.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈhɔʏ̯ˌʃrɛkə/
Audio (file)
Noun
Heuschrecke f (genitive Heuschrecke, plural Heuschrecken)
- grasshopper; locust
- Synonym: Grashüpfer (informal)
- an investor who buys enterprises or properties and deals with them in a way that harms the local population
- (especially East Germany, historical) an investor from West Germany who did this in the former GDR, exploiting the chaos following German reunification
Declension
Declension of Heuschrecke
| singular | plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indef. | def. | noun | def. | noun | |
| nominative | eine | die | Heuschrecke | die | Heuschrecken |
| genitive | einer | der | Heuschrecke | der | Heuschrecken |
| dative | einer | der | Heuschrecke | den | Heuschrecken |
| accusative | eine | die | Heuschrecke | die | Heuschrecken |
Derived terms
- Schrecke
- Blauflügelige Ödlandschrecke
- Stabheuschrecke
- Gespenstheuschrecke
- Wanderheuschrecke
Further reading
- “Heuschrecke” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- Heuschrecke in Duden online