Weib
German
Etymology
From Old High German wīb, from Proto-Germanic *wībą.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /vaɪ̯p/, [väɪ̯p], [ʋäɪ̯p]
Audio (Austria) (file) Audio (file)
Noun
Weib n (genitive Weibs or Weibes, plural Weiber, diminutive Weibchen n or Weiblein n)
- (now often derogatory) woman
- (archaic) woman, wife
- So sprach er [...]: „Weib, meine letzte Stunde ist da; alle Schätze, so ich allein besaß, sind dein und deiner Tochter.“ - Emanuel Schikaneder, Die Zauberflöte (libretto), act II, scene 8.
- So he said [...]: "Wife, my last hour is here; all the treasures that I possessed of myself are yours and your daughter's."
- So sprach er [...]: „Weib, meine letzte Stunde ist da; alle Schätze, so ich allein besaß, sind dein und deiner Tochter.“ - Emanuel Schikaneder, Die Zauberflöte (libretto), act II, scene 8.
Usage notes
- Weib usually cannot be a neutral term for “woman” in contemporary German (for that see Frau). Nonetheless, it is still rather a current word and may be more or less pejorative depending on context. It is most often heard among men, notably in the plural, in which case it has macho ring to it, without being particularly abusive: Du weißt ja, wie die Weiber sind... − “Well, you know what women are like...” Perhaps comparable to the use of broad in American English.
- In older German (well into the 19th century), Weib was a normal word for a woman, usually one of the “common people”, or someone's wife. This more neutral sense is still retained in many derived terms, particularly weiblich (“female”).
Declension
Declension of Weib
singular | plural | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
indef. | def. | noun | def. | noun | |
nominative | ein | das | Weib | die | Weiber |
genitive | eines | des | Weibes, Weibs | der | Weiber |
dative | einem | dem | Weib, Weibe1 | den | Weibern |
accusative | ein | das | Weib | die | Weiber |
1Now uncommon, see notes
Derived terms
- Eheweib
- Klageweib
- Vielweiberei
- Weiberfastnacht
- Weiberrat
- weibisch
- weiblich
- Weibsbild
See also
- Frauenperson
- Frauenzimmer
Further reading
- Weib in Duden online
Hunsrik
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /vaɪ̯p/
Noun
Weib n (plural Weiver)
- woman
Further reading
- Online Hunsrik Dictionary
Pennsylvania German
Etymology
Compare German Weib, Dutch wijf, English wife.
Noun
Weib n (plural Weiwer)
- wife
- woman