"ob" meaning in German

See ob in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Conjunction

IPA: /ɔp/ Audio: De-ob.ogg
Etymology: From Middle High German obe, ob, from Proto-Germanic *jabai (“when, if”). Compare English if. Etymology templates: {{etymid|de|if}}, {{inh|de|gmh|obe}} Middle High German obe, {{der|de|gem-pro|*jabai||when, if}} Proto-Germanic *jabai (“when, if”), {{cog|en|if}} English if Head templates: {{head|de|conjunction}} ob
  1. (subordinating) Introduces an indirect question, a doubt. if, whether. Tags: subordinating
    Sense id: en-ob-de-conj-QiNp-S5N Categories (other): Pages with 10 entries, Pages with entries, German entries with incorrect language header, German prepositions Disambiguation of Pages with 10 entries: 1 13 15 18 38 1 4 3 1 4 3 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 1 8 12 14 43 0 3 2 0 2 2 1 12 Disambiguation of German entries with incorrect language header: 82 0 4 13 Disambiguation of German prepositions: 49 0 34 17
  2. (conditional, obsolete, except in als ob) if, in case Tags: conditional, obsolete
    Sense id: en-ob-de-conj-wePMaVbI
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 1

Preposition

IPA: /ɔp/, /oːp/
Etymology: From Middle High German obe, from Old High German oba, from Proto-Germanic *ub (“under”), from Proto-Indo-European *upó (“under, below”). Related with über, oben. A chiefly Upper German word, pronounced with a short vowel in Alemannic areas and with a long vowel in Austro-Bavarian areas. In the north, the short vowel is from etymology 1, perhaps also reinforced by association with regional forms of auf (Central Franconian op, Low German up, op). The long vowel is standard in Obacht, beobachten. Etymology templates: {{etymid|de|on account of}}, {{inh|de|gmh|obe}} Middle High German obe, {{inh|de|goh|oba}} Old High German oba, {{inh|de|gem-pro|*ub|t=under}} Proto-Germanic *ub (“under”), {{inh|de|ine-pro|*upó|t=under, below}} Proto-Indo-European *upó (“under, below”), {{cog|gmw-cfr|op}} Central Franconian op, {{cog|nds|up|up, op}} Low German up, op Head templates: {{head|de|preposition}} ob
  1. (formal, literary) on account of [with genitive or (rare) dative] Tags: formal, literary Synonyms: angesichts, wegen
    Sense id: en-ob-de-prep-sO3zkWeU
  2. (archaic or dialectal) over, above, on [with dative] Tags: archaic, dialectal Synonyms: über
    Sense id: en-ob-de-prep-d-dGHQjU
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: ob-, obderennsisch, Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Etymology number: 2
{
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "if"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "etymid"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "gmh",
        "3": "obe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle High German obe",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*jabai",
        "4": "",
        "5": "when, if"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *jabai (“when, if”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "if"
      },
      "expansion": "English if",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle High German obe, ob, from Proto-Germanic *jabai (“when, if”). Compare English if.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "conjunction"
      },
      "expansion": "ob",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "German",
  "lang_code": "de",
  "pos": "conj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "1 13 15 18 38 1 4 3 1 4 3",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 10 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "1 8 12 14 43 0 3 2 0 2 2 1 12",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "82 0 4 13",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "German entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "49 0 34 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "German prepositions",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "english": "if ... or",
          "text": "ob ... oder",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "english": "I don't know if she's sick",
          "text": "Ich weiß nicht, ob sie krank ist.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "english": "Did you ask her if she's coming?",
          "text": "Hast du sie gefragt, ob sie kommt?",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "english": "Is it really true?",
          "text": "Ob das wirklich wahr ist?",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Introduces an indirect question, a doubt. if, whether."
      ],
      "id": "en-ob-de-conj-QiNp-S5N",
      "links": [
        [
          "if",
          "if"
        ],
        [
          "whether",
          "whether"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(subordinating) Introduces an indirect question, a doubt. if, whether."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "subordinating"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "if, in case"
      ],
      "id": "en-ob-de-conj-wePMaVbI",
      "links": [
        [
          "als ob",
          "als ob#German"
        ],
        [
          "if",
          "if"
        ],
        [
          "in case",
          "in case"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(conditional, obsolete, except in als ob) if, in case"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "conditional",
        "obsolete"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɔp/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "De-ob.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/10/De-ob.ogg/De-ob.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/De-ob.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "ob"
}

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "ob-"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "obderennsisch"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "Rothenburg ob der Tauber"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "on account of"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "etymid"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "gmh",
        "3": "obe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle High German obe",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "goh",
        "3": "oba"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German oba",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*ub",
        "t": "under"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *ub (“under”)",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*upó",
        "t": "under, below"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *upó (“under, below”)",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "gmw-cfr",
        "2": "op"
      },
      "expansion": "Central Franconian op",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "up",
        "3": "up, op"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German up, op",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle High German obe, from Old High German oba, from Proto-Germanic *ub (“under”), from Proto-Indo-European *upó (“under, below”). Related with über, oben.\nA chiefly Upper German word, pronounced with a short vowel in Alemannic areas and with a long vowel in Austro-Bavarian areas. In the north, the short vowel is from etymology 1, perhaps also reinforced by association with regional forms of auf (Central Franconian op, Low German up, op). The long vowel is standard in Obacht, beobachten.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "preposition"
      },
      "expansion": "ob",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "German",
  "lang_code": "de",
  "pos": "prep",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "english": "Many soapbox cars, on account of their thin wheels, do not have the traction of a normal car tire and have only so-called spoon brakes at their disposal.",
          "ref": "2019, Editorial Staff, “Große Enttäuschung nach Abbruch vom Seifenkistenrennen”, in Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger:",
          "text": "Viele Seifenkisten haben ob ihrer dünnen Räder nicht die Bodenhaftung eines normalen Autoreifens und verfügen nur über so genannte Stempelbremsen.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "on account of"
      ],
      "id": "en-ob-de-prep-sO3zkWeU",
      "info_templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "de",
            "2": "gen/dat<l:rare>"
          },
          "expansion": "[with genitive or (rare) dative]",
          "extra_data": {
            "tags": [
              "genitive"
            ],
            "words": [
              "(rare)",
              "dative"
            ]
          },
          "name": "+obj"
        }
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "on account of",
          "on account of"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(formal, literary) on account of [with genitive or (rare) dative]"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "angesichts"
        },
        {
          "word": "wegen"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "formal",
        "literary"
      ]
    },
    {
      "antonyms": [
        {
          "word": "unter"
        },
        {
          "word": ";"
        },
        {
          "word": "nied"
        },
        {
          "word": "nid"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "over, above, on"
      ],
      "id": "en-ob-de-prep-d-dGHQjU",
      "info_templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "de",
            "2": "dat"
          },
          "expansion": "[with dative]",
          "extra_data": {
            "tags": [
              "dative"
            ]
          },
          "name": "+obj"
        }
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "over",
          "over"
        ],
        [
          "above",
          "above"
        ],
        [
          "on",
          "on"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic or dialectal) over, above, on [with dative]"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "über"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "dialectal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɔp/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/oːp/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "ob"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "German conjunctions",
    "German entries with incorrect language header",
    "German lemmas",
    "German prepositions",
    "German subordinating conjunctions",
    "German terms derived from Middle High German",
    "German terms derived from Old High German",
    "German terms derived from Proto-Germanic",
    "German terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
    "German terms inherited from Middle High German",
    "German terms inherited from Old High German",
    "German terms inherited from Proto-Germanic",
    "German terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European",
    "Pages with 10 entries",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "if"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "etymid"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "gmh",
        "3": "obe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle High German obe",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*jabai",
        "4": "",
        "5": "when, if"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *jabai (“when, if”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "if"
      },
      "expansion": "English if",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle High German obe, ob, from Proto-Germanic *jabai (“when, if”). Compare English if.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "conjunction"
      },
      "expansion": "ob",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "German",
  "lang_code": "de",
  "pos": "conj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "German terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "english": "if ... or",
          "text": "ob ... oder",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "english": "I don't know if she's sick",
          "text": "Ich weiß nicht, ob sie krank ist.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "english": "Did you ask her if she's coming?",
          "text": "Hast du sie gefragt, ob sie kommt?",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "english": "Is it really true?",
          "text": "Ob das wirklich wahr ist?",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Introduces an indirect question, a doubt. if, whether."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "if",
          "if"
        ],
        [
          "whether",
          "whether"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(subordinating) Introduces an indirect question, a doubt. if, whether."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "subordinating"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "German terms with obsolete senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "if, in case"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "als ob",
          "als ob#German"
        ],
        [
          "if",
          "if"
        ],
        [
          "in case",
          "in case"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(conditional, obsolete, except in als ob) if, in case"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "conditional",
        "obsolete"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɔp/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "De-ob.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/10/De-ob.ogg/De-ob.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/De-ob.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "ob"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "German entries with incorrect language header",
    "German lemmas",
    "German prepositions",
    "German subordinating conjunctions",
    "German terms derived from Middle High German",
    "German terms derived from Old High German",
    "German terms derived from Proto-Germanic",
    "German terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
    "German terms inherited from Middle High German",
    "German terms inherited from Old High German",
    "German terms inherited from Proto-Germanic",
    "German terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European",
    "Pages with 10 entries",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "ob-"
    },
    {
      "word": "obderennsisch"
    },
    {
      "word": "Rothenburg ob der Tauber"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "on account of"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "etymid"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "gmh",
        "3": "obe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle High German obe",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "goh",
        "3": "oba"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German oba",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*ub",
        "t": "under"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *ub (“under”)",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*upó",
        "t": "under, below"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *upó (“under, below”)",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "gmw-cfr",
        "2": "op"
      },
      "expansion": "Central Franconian op",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "up",
        "3": "up, op"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German up, op",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle High German obe, from Old High German oba, from Proto-Germanic *ub (“under”), from Proto-Indo-European *upó (“under, below”). Related with über, oben.\nA chiefly Upper German word, pronounced with a short vowel in Alemannic areas and with a long vowel in Austro-Bavarian areas. In the north, the short vowel is from etymology 1, perhaps also reinforced by association with regional forms of auf (Central Franconian op, Low German up, op). The long vowel is standard in Obacht, beobachten.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "preposition"
      },
      "expansion": "ob",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "German",
  "lang_code": "de",
  "pos": "prep",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "German formal terms",
        "German literary terms",
        "German terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "english": "Many soapbox cars, on account of their thin wheels, do not have the traction of a normal car tire and have only so-called spoon brakes at their disposal.",
          "ref": "2019, Editorial Staff, “Große Enttäuschung nach Abbruch vom Seifenkistenrennen”, in Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger:",
          "text": "Viele Seifenkisten haben ob ihrer dünnen Räder nicht die Bodenhaftung eines normalen Autoreifens und verfügen nur über so genannte Stempelbremsen.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "on account of"
      ],
      "info_templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "de",
            "2": "gen/dat<l:rare>"
          },
          "expansion": "[with genitive or (rare) dative]",
          "extra_data": {
            "tags": [
              "genitive"
            ],
            "words": [
              "(rare)",
              "dative"
            ]
          },
          "name": "+obj"
        }
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "on account of",
          "on account of"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(formal, literary) on account of [with genitive or (rare) dative]"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "angesichts"
        },
        {
          "word": "wegen"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "formal",
        "literary"
      ]
    },
    {
      "antonyms": [
        {
          "word": "unter"
        },
        {
          "word": ";"
        },
        {
          "word": "nied"
        },
        {
          "word": "nid"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "German dialectal terms",
        "German terms with archaic senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "over, above, on"
      ],
      "info_templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "de",
            "2": "dat"
          },
          "expansion": "[with dative]",
          "extra_data": {
            "tags": [
              "dative"
            ]
          },
          "name": "+obj"
        }
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "over",
          "over"
        ],
        [
          "above",
          "above"
        ],
        [
          "on",
          "on"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic or dialectal) over, above, on [with dative]"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "über"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "dialectal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɔp/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/oːp/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "ob"
}

Download raw JSONL data for ob meaning in German (6.2kB)

{
  "called_from": "form_descriptions/1831",
  "msg": "unrecognized sense qualifier: conditional, obsolete, except in als ob",
  "path": [
    "ob"
  ],
  "section": "German",
  "subsection": "conjunction",
  "title": "ob",
  "trace": ""
}

{
  "called_from": "form_descriptions/1831",
  "msg": "unrecognized sense qualifier: conditional, obsolete, except in als ob",
  "path": [
    "ob"
  ],
  "section": "German",
  "subsection": "conjunction",
  "title": "ob",
  "trace": ""
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable German dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-03-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-02-21 using wiktextract (7c21d10 and f2e72e5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.