schief
German
Etymology
From northern Middle High German schief, schīf (etc.), from Middle Low German schêf, from Old Saxon *skêf. Regular High German cognates exist only in north-western Central German; compare Central Franconian scheif, northernmost Luxembourgish scheef. Otherwise it was borrowed from Low German into the colonial dialects, i.e. East Central German, with fallible phonetic interpretation of the original form (hence variously -ie-, -ī-, -ē-, -ei-, -b-, -f-, etc.). The word established itself in standard German during the 18th century. Cognate with Dutch scheef, Old English *sc(e)āf (in scāffōt), Old Norse skeifr.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ʃiːf/
- Rhymes: -iːf
(file)
- (inflected forms:) IPA(key): /ʃiːf-/ (standard)
- (inflected forms:) IPA(key): /ʃiːv-/ (many speakers in northern and central Germany)
- (Austria)
(file)
Adjective
schief (strong nominative masculine singular schiefer, comparative schiefer, superlative am schiefsten)
- skew, oblique, askew, leaning, slanting, aslant, inclined (neither parallel nor perpendicular)
- slopy, sloping (characterised by a slope or slopes)
- crooked, awry (set at an angle; not vertical or square)
- lopsided (not even or balanced; not the same on one side as on the other)
- (of facial expressions) wry (turned away, contorted)
- (of an image) distorted (misshapen; brought out of shape)
- worn (damaged and shabby as a result of much use)
- (figurative) inappropriate (not suitable for the situation, time, or place)
Declension
Positive forms of schief
| number & gender | singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | all genders | ||
| predicative | er ist schief | sie ist schief | es ist schief | sie sind schief | |
| strong declension (without article) | nominative | schiefer | schiefe | schiefes | schiefe |
| genitive | schiefen | schiefer | schiefen | schiefer | |
| dative | schiefem | schiefer | schiefem | schiefen | |
| accusative | schiefen | schiefe | schiefes | schiefe | |
| weak declension (with definite article) | nominative | der schiefe | die schiefe | das schiefe | die schiefen |
| genitive | des schiefen | der schiefen | des schiefen | der schiefen | |
| dative | dem schiefen | der schiefen | dem schiefen | den schiefen | |
| accusative | den schiefen | die schiefe | das schiefe | die schiefen | |
| mixed declension (with indefinite article) | nominative | ein schiefer | eine schiefe | ein schiefes | (keine) schiefen |
| genitive | eines schiefen | einer schiefen | eines schiefen | (keiner) schiefen | |
| dative | einem schiefen | einer schiefen | einem schiefen | (keinen) schiefen | |
| accusative | einen schiefen | eine schiefe | ein schiefes | (keine) schiefen | |
Comparative forms of schief
| number & gender | singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | all genders | ||
| predicative | er ist schiefer | sie ist schiefer | es ist schiefer | sie sind schiefer | |
| strong declension (without article) | nominative | schieferer | schiefere | schieferes | schiefere |
| genitive | schieferen | schieferer | schieferen | schieferer | |
| dative | schieferem | schieferer | schieferem | schieferen | |
| accusative | schieferen | schiefere | schieferes | schiefere | |
| weak declension (with definite article) | nominative | der schiefere | die schiefere | das schiefere | die schieferen |
| genitive | des schieferen | der schieferen | des schieferen | der schieferen | |
| dative | dem schieferen | der schieferen | dem schieferen | den schieferen | |
| accusative | den schieferen | die schiefere | das schiefere | die schieferen | |
| mixed declension (with indefinite article) | nominative | ein schieferer | eine schiefere | ein schieferes | (keine) schieferen |
| genitive | eines schieferen | einer schieferen | eines schieferen | (keiner) schieferen | |
| dative | einem schieferen | einer schieferen | einem schieferen | (keinen) schieferen | |
| accusative | einen schieferen | eine schiefere | ein schieferes | (keine) schieferen | |
Superlative forms of schief
| number & gender | singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | all genders | ||
| predicative | er ist am schiefsten | sie ist am schiefsten | es ist am schiefsten | sie sind am schiefsten | |
| strong declension (without article) | nominative | schiefster | schiefste | schiefstes | schiefste |
| genitive | schiefsten | schiefster | schiefsten | schiefster | |
| dative | schiefstem | schiefster | schiefstem | schiefsten | |
| accusative | schiefsten | schiefste | schiefstes | schiefste | |
| weak declension (with definite article) | nominative | der schiefste | die schiefste | das schiefste | die schiefsten |
| genitive | des schiefsten | der schiefsten | des schiefsten | der schiefsten | |
| dative | dem schiefsten | der schiefsten | dem schiefsten | den schiefsten | |
| accusative | den schiefsten | die schiefste | das schiefste | die schiefsten | |
| mixed declension (with indefinite article) | nominative | ein schiefster | eine schiefste | ein schiefstes | (keine) schiefsten |
| genitive | eines schiefsten | einer schiefsten | eines schiefsten | (keiner) schiefsten | |
| dative | einem schiefsten | einer schiefsten | einem schiefsten | (keinen) schiefsten | |
| accusative | einen schiefsten | eine schiefste | ein schiefstes | (keine) schiefsten | |
Synonyms
- (oblique): schräg
Derived terms
Derived terms
- schiefgehen
- schieflaufen
- schief ansehen
- schiefe Bahn
- schiefe Ebene
Adverb
schief
- crookedly, at an angle
- lopsidedly
- (figurative) askance (sideways; obliquely)
- badly, wrong (in a way that isn't right)
Further reading
- “schief” in Duden online
- “schief” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- Friedrich Kluge (1883), “schief”, in , John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891