ab-

From ab, from Middle High German abe, ab, from Old High German ab, from Proto-West Germanic *ab(a), from Proto-Germanic *ab. Compare English off-.

ab- + fahren (“to drive”) → abfahren (“to depart, drive away”)

ab- + spülen (“to rinse, wash”) → abspülen (“to rinse off, wash off”)

Separable verb prefix that indicates removal or quitting, off, away.

ab- + tauchen (“to dive”) → abtauchen (“to submerge”)

Separable verb prefix that indicates a downward movement, down.

Separable verb prefix that indicates from or of.

ab- + Art (“kind, sort”) → Abart (“variety, variant, anomality”)

ab- + Gott (“God”) → Abgott (“idol; god other than the true God”)

ab- + Laut (“sound”) → Ablaut (“ablaut; vowel gradation or alternation”)

Noun prefix that indicates being different from the source or deviation.


pseudo-

Ancient Greek ψευδής (pseudḗs, “false, lying”)


a-

From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) (ἀν- (an-) immediately preceding a vowel).


un-

From Middle High German un-, from Old High German un-, from Proto-West Germanic *un-, from Proto-Germanic *un-, from Proto-Indo-European *n̥-.

un- (denoting absence, a lack of; violative of; contrary to)

un- + Ding (“thing”) → Unding (“something unacceptable”)

un- + Fall (“case, situation”) → Unfall (“accident”)

un- + Mensch (“human being”) → Unmensch (“brute, barbarian”)

un- + Tier (“animal”) → Untier (“beast, monster”)

un- + Wetter (“weather”) → Unwetter (“storm, severe weather”)


psycho-

Ultimately from Ancient Greek ψυχή (psukhḗ, “soul”).

psycho- + Therapie (“therapy”) → Psychotherapie (“psychotherapy”)

psycho- (relating to the soul, the mind, or to psychology)


in-

Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *in, from Proto-Indo-European *en. More at in and inne-.

in- + Land (“land”) → Inland (“domestic territory”)

in- + Schrift (“writing”) → Inschrift (“inscription”)

in- + Sasse (“someone who sits”) → Insasse (“passenger, inhabitant”)

in- + Begriff (“concept”) → Inbegriff (“embodiment”)

(rare, only in nouns) in, inside, interior


in-

in- + filtrieren (“to filter”) → infiltrieren (“to infiltrate”)

(rarely productive, only with Latinate stems) in, into

rarely productive; only with Latinate stems; rarely productive; only with Latinate stems


in-

in- + konsequent (“consistent”) → inkonsequent (“inconsistent”)

(rarely productive, only with Latinate stems) in-, un- (indicates negation)


tri-

Ultimately from Latin tri- and Ancient Greek τρι- (tri-, “three”).


mega-

From Ancient Greek μέγας (mégas, “great, large, mighty”).


ambi-

From Latin ambi- (“both”), from ambo (“both”).


anti-

From Ancient Greek ἀντι- (anti-, “against”), influenced by Latin borrowings from Greek beginning with anti- (like Antichristus) and German borrowings from Latin or Greek.


thermo-

Ultimately from Ancient Greek θερμός (thermós). Many German terms prefixed with thermo- are borrowings from other European languages, especially French.


mono-

Ultimately from Ancient Greek μόνος (mónos, “alone, only”).


poly-

Ultimately from Ancient Greek πολύς (polús, “many, much”).


bio-

organically produced, or otherwise environmentally friendly


homo-

Ultimately from Ancient Greek ὁμός (homós, “same”).

homo- + sexuell (“sexual”) → homosexuell (“homosexual”)


homo-

homo- + Ehe (“marriage”) → Homoehe (“same-sex marriage”)

homo- + -phobie (“-phobia”) → Homophobie (“homophobia”)

homo- (of or pertaining to homosexuality)


endo-

From Ancient Greek ἔνδον (éndon, “inner; internal”).


geo-

Ultimately from Ancient Greek γεω- (geō-), combining form of γῆ (gê, “earth”).

geo- + Politik (“politics”) → Geopolitik (“geopolitics”)

geo- + Wissenschaften (“sciences”) → Geowissenschaften (“geoscience”)

geo- (global, pertaining to the Earth, pertaining to geography)


gastro-

Coined based on Ancient Greek γαστήρ (gastḗr, “stomach”).


an-

From the preposition an, from Middle High German an(e), from Proto-West Germanic *ana, from Proto-Germanic *ana. Compare Dutch aan-, English on-.

an- + schrauben (“to screw”) → anschrauben (“to screw on, attach by screwing”)

an- + schreien (“to shout”) → anschreien (“to shout at”)

an- + bauen (“to build”) → anbauen (“to attach, expand, build next to”)

an- + ziehen (“to pull”) → anziehen (“to attract, pull towards one”)

an- + kaufen (“to buy”) → ankaufen (“to buy so as to form a stock, buy up”)

an- + knabbern (“to nibble”) → anknabbern (“to nibble part of, start to nibble”)

an- + braten (“to fry”) → anbraten (“to sear, fry outwardly or slightly”)

an- + zahlen (“to pay”) → anzahlen (“to pay down, pay part of”)

expresses a beginning, partial or slight action

an- + stellen (“to put”) → anstellen (“to turn on”)


an-

From Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-) (ἀν- (an-) immediately preceding a vowel), from Proto-Indo-European *n̥- (“un-, not”), zero-grade form of *ne (“not”).

forming words with the sense of negation, an-


di-

Ultimately from Ancient Greek δίς (dís, “twice”).


ge-

northern Rhineland, south-eastern Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg, Berlin

Inherited from Middle High German ge-, from Old High German ga-, gi-, from Proto-West Germanic *ga-, from Proto-Germanic *ga-, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm.
Cognate with Low German ge-, e-, je- (Ermländisch), Yiddish גע־ (ge-), Dutch ge-, Old English ġe- (obsolete English y-, i-, a-), Gothic 𐌲𐌰- (ga-).

-t

for verbs not stressed on the very first syllable

ge- + Ader (“vein”) → Geäder (“veins collectively”)

ge- + Ast (“branch”) → Geäst (“all the branches of a tree”)

ge- + Berg (“mountain”) → Gebirge (“mountain range”)

ge- + Busch (“bush”) → Gebüsch (“brush”)

ge- + Rippe (“rib”) → Gerippe (“skeleton”)

ge- + Stein (“stone”) → Gestein (“rock”)

ge- + Strauch (“bush, shrub”) → Gesträuch (“shrubbery”)

ge- + Wasser (“water”) → Gewässer (“body of water”)

ge- + Wolke (“cloud”) → Gewölk (“cloud formation”) (modern: Wolkenformation)

Forms collective nouns, almost always neuter gender. Whenever possible, the root vowel is modified as well.

ge- + ächzen (“groan (verb)”) → Geächze (“groan (noun)”)

ge- + heulen (“to cry like a wolf”) → Geheule (“the howl of a wolf”)

ge- + reden (“talk”) → Gerede (“chatter”)

ge- + seufzen (“sigh (verb)”) → Geseufze (“sigh (noun)”)

Forms action nouns, usually with a sense of repetition or continuation. All of these nouns are neuter and have no plural.

ge- + schenken (“to gift”) → Geschenk (“gift”)

ge- + legen (“to lay”) → Gelege (“clutch of eggs”)

ge- + prägen (“to stamp a coin”) → Gepräge (“the pattern on a coin”)

nomina rei actae
nomen rei actae#English

Forms nomina rei actae, verbal nouns that refer to the result of an action, always of neuter gender.

ge- + schlafen (“to sleep”) → geschlafen (“slept”)

ge- + denken (“to think”) → gedacht (“thought”)

ge- + retten (“to rescue, save”) → gerettet (“rescued, saved”)

Forms past participles in combination with a suffix -en or -(e)t. Nouns are frequently made from the past participle.

ge- + leiten (“to lead”) → geleiten (“to escort”)

ge- + nießen (“to use”) → genießen (“to enjoy”)

ge- + Middle High German bëren (“to bear, carry”) → gebären (“to give birth”)

ge- + langen (“to reach for”) → gelangen (“to achieve”)

Early New High German
Early New High German#English

Forms verbs with terminative aktionsart. This is hardly productive after Early New High German and outside of dialects.

ge- + Brüder (“brothers”) → Gebrüder (“Brothers”) For example, Gebrüder Grimm, the Brothers Grimm.

ge- + Fahrt (“journey”) → Gefährte (“fellow-travellers”)

Indicates association or togetherness; co-.


er-

From Middle High German er-, from Old High German ir-, from Proto-West Germanic *uʀ-, from Proto-Germanic *uz-. Cognate with Old Saxon ā-, English a-.

Inseparable verbal prefix that indicates a successful conclusion, leads to the wanted result.

er- + drücken (“to push, squeeze”) → erdrücken (“to squeeze dead”)

er- + frieren (“to freeze”) → erfrieren (“to freeze to death”)

Inseparable verbal prefix that indicates killing or dying.

er- + arbeiten (“to work”) → erarbeiten (“to gain something by means of working for it”)

Prefix signifying a notion of getting something by some means, usually through conscious effort.


meta-

Borrowed from Ancient Greek μετα- (meta-).


um-

From Middle High German um-, umb-, umme-, umbe-, from Old High German umbi- (“around”), from Proto-West Germanic *umbi-, from Proto-Germanic *umbi- (“around”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi (“by, near, around”). Cognate with English um-, Dutch om-, Swedish om-, Icelandic um-.


trans-

Borrowed from Latin trāns (“across, on the far side, beyond”).


exo-

From Ancient Greek ἔξω (éxō, “outer; external”).


ver-

alternative standard; much more common, except when provided with emphatic stress

From Middle High German ver-, from Old High German far-, from a mixture of Proto-Germanic *firi-, *fra-, *furi- and other similar particles. Cognate with English for-, Dutch ver-, Yiddish פֿאַר־ (far-), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂- (fair-), 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂- (faur-), 𐍆𐍂𐌰- (fra-), Latin per-.

vergeben (“to forgive”)

ver- + lieben (“to love”) → sich verlieben (“to fall in love”)

ver- + urteilen (“to pronounce judgement”) → verurteilen (“to convict”)

Inseparable verbal prefix that denotes a transition of the object into a state, which is indicated by the stem.

ver- + laufen (“to walk”) → sich verlaufen (“to get lost”)

ver- + zählen (“to count”) → sich verzählen (“to miscount”)

ver- + gießen (“to pour”) → vergießen (“to spill”)

Inseparable verbal prefix indicating a faulty action.

ver- + prassen → verprassen

ver- + zocken → verzocken

ver- + ballern → verballern

Inseparable verbal prefix that denotes losing something (money, resources etc.) by way of doing something indicated by the stem


thio-

From Ancient Greek θεῖον (theîon, “Sulfur”).


sym-

Alternative form of syn-, used before labials


ur-

→ English: ur-

→ Dutch: oer-

From Middle High German ur-, from Old High German ur-, ir- (“thoroughly”), from Proto-West Germanic *uʀ-, from Proto-Germanic *uz- (“out”).

ur- + Schrei (“scream”) → Urschrei (“primal scream”)

ur- + Wald (“forest”) → Urwald (“primeval forest”)

ur- + Opa (“grandfather”) → Uropa (“great-grandfather”)

great-; indicates an additional generation of separation between relatives

ur- + alt (“old”) → uralt (“ancient”)

ur- + gemütlich (“cosy”) → urgemütlich (“very cosy”)

(especially Austria) very; used to intensify adjectives


phyto-

From Ancient Greek φυτόν (phutón, “plant”).


her-

(stressed) Separable verbal prefix that indicates a movement towards the speaker.

(unstressed) Adverbial prefix that indicates a movement towards the speaker.


be-

From Middle High German be-, from Old High German bi-, from Proto-Germanic *bi-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi.

inseparable verbal prefix that signifies working on something or change of state

inseparable verbal prefix that signifies touching the object

inseparable verbal prefix that signifies discussing or mentioning the object


hin-

Adverbial and separable verbal prefix that indicates a movement away from the speaker


zer-

more common; except when provided with emphatic stress

Middle High German zer-, ze-, zu-
Assumed to be fused from er- and an old prefix ze-, already denoting an aspect of dissolvement and asunderness. The latter is probably cognate with Middle Low German to- of the same meaning. All are ultimately from Proto-Germanic *twiz-, from Proto-Indo-European *dwís, thus further cognate with Latin dis- as in English dissolve.

(inseparable verbal prefix) asunder, to pieces, to bits


ent-

From Old High German ant-, from Proto-West Germanic *anda-, from Proto-Germanic *andi-, *anþi-, representative of a combining form of "and".
Cognate with Middle Dutch ont- (Dutch ont-), Old English and-, ond- (English un-), Old Norse and- (Swedish an-), Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌳- (and-), Danish und-.

Inseparable verb prefix indicating removing something from the object, from, away from, off.

Inseparable verb prefix indicating a conversion to the opposite, a reversion.

Inseparable verb prefix indicating the beginning of something.

In the nomenclature of organic chemistry (natural compounds), a sterochemical descriptor prefix (before entire compound name) meaning enantiomer.


aller-

From aller, the genitive form of alle (“all”), from Middle High German al, from Old High German al, from Proto-Germanic *allaz. Compare English all-, English alder-.

aller- + erste (“first”) → allererste (“very first”)

aller- + größte Stadt (“the biggest city”) → allergrößte Stadt (“the very biggest city / the biggest city of them all”)

aller- + meist (“most”) → allermeist (“almost all”)

aller- + herzlichst (“most cordially”) → allerherzlichst (literally “all-most-cordially”)

Ich will aber mal die allerallerbeste Ritterin werden.

1988, Cornelia Funke, Igraine Ohnefurcht, page 84:

Intensifying prefix for superlatives: very; of them all


sonder-

From Proto-Germanic *sundraz (“separate, isolated, alone”).


foto-

Ultimately from Ancient Greek φῶς (phôs, “light”).


wider-

From Middle High German wider-, from Old High German widar-, from Proto-West Germanic *wiþra-, equivalent to German wider and wieder. Doublet of wieder-. Cognate with Dutch weer-, English wither-.


kontra-

double (in music, of an instrument, sounding an octave lower)


erz-

From Middle High German erz-, erze-, from Old High German erzi-, from Late Latin archi-, from Ancient Greek ἀρχι- (arkhi-).

Etymological Dictionary of the German Language

de:Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache


herauf-

A prefix, conveying a movement on something.


herein-

From herein (“inwards (toward the speaker)”).

A verbal prefix indicating movement inwards towards the speaker


auseinander-

a prefix bearing the meaning asunder or apart


herunter-

a prefix; down-(?) (towards the speaker)


aus-

A prefixed variation of the preposition aus. Compare English out-.


durch-

A prefixed variation of the preposition durch.


wieder-

wieder- prefix somewhat similar to re- (canonical)

Adverb wieder used as particle in verb compounds.

wiederkäuen, wiederwählen

Something happens again, a state, fact exists anew

wiederaufbauen, wiederaufnehmen, wiedereinführen, wiedereröffnen, wiederherstellen

Something is restored after a certain period of interruption

wiederfinden, wiedergeben, wiederkommen

Something that someone had, is put back or returned

wiedergrüßen, wiederhauen, wiederlieben

An action is reciprocated or rewarded with the same or a similar action


zu-

From Middle High German zuo-, from Old High German zuo-, from Proto-Germanic *tō (“to”).


nach-

Formed from the preposition nach (“past, after”).

indicates a later action as in nacharbeiten, nachbessern

indicates following or pursuit of someone or something, as in nachgehen, nachfahren

indicates repetition or succession, as in nachfüllen, nachkaufen

to check something nachzählen, nachprüfen

to improve something, as in nachfärben (“redye”), nachhelfen (“give extra help; private lessons”)

indicates the exact copying of something as in nachmachen, nachdrucken (“reprint”), nachahmen, nachbeten

indicates a purposeful action, as in nachdenken, nachforschen


bei-

From bei, from Middle High German bī, from Old High German bī, from Proto-West Germanic *bī, from Proto-Germanic *bi. Compare Dutch bij- and English by-.

(with nouns) temporally concurrent or physically present


heraus-

Compound of the prefixes her- + aus-, or rather simply heraus in compounds.

A prefix, conveying a movement out of something.


ein-

Middle High German īn-, a variation (like ein (“indicating motion into something”) as in waldein) of the preposition in, from Old High German in, from Proto-Germanic *in, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én. Compare English in-.

generally indicating (concrete or abstract/metaphorical) motion into something


ein-

ein- + Bein (“leg”) + -ig → einbeinig (“one-legged”)


vor-

From Middle High German vor-, vore-, from Old High German fora-, furi-, from Proto-West Germanic *forē-. Cognate with English fore-.

pre- (denotes primarily that something is before or in front of another thing or higher in a hierarchy)


auf-

aufnehmen (“to pick up”), aufstehen, aufwachsen

A separable prefix; similar to English up-

aufhören, aufgeben

aufmachen, aufschließen

aufschreiben (“to write down”), auftragen (“to put on, apply”)

aufwachsen, aufgeben, aufstehen


mit-

From mit (“with”). Compare Dutch mee-, mede-.

mit- + tanzen (“to dance”) → mittanzen (“to dance with others, to join others in dancing, to dance along”)

a prefix of nearly unlimited productivity, expressing that something is done together with others who do the same thing, sometimes equivalent to English co- or along.

mit- + Verschwörer (“conspirator”) → Mitverschwörer (“co-conspirator”)

mit- + Bürger (“citizen”) → Mitbürger (“fellow citizen”)


herum-

herum- + gehen (“walk”) → herumgehen (“wander, walk without a destination”)


voll-

to do the action of the verb fully or thoroughly; to bring it to completion.


rück-

From Proto-West Germanic *hrugi, from Proto-Germanic *hrugjaz.


zwie-

From Old High German zwi-. Cognate with Old Norse tuī-, Old English twi-, Dutch twee-, Gothic *𐍄𐍅𐌹- (*twi-), Low German twi-, Latin bi-, Sanskrit dvi-.


ober-

From Middle High German ober, from Old High German obar.


einzel-

Einzelfahrt


stief-

From Middle High German stief-, from Old High German stiof-, from Proto-West Germanic *steupa- (“bereft, pushed out”). Cognate with Dutch stief-, English step-.

step-; a prefix indicating the individual being referred to is related through the marriage of a parent.


kardio-

From Ancient Greek καρδία (kardía, “heart”).


r-

From dialectal er-, from her- and/or dar-. Compare Dutch er.

pronominal adverbs
pronominal adverbs#English

(colloquial) Creates pronominal adverbs from prepositions with an initial vowel; in the standard language it is equivalent to her- or hin- depending on the context. This distinction is neglected in colloquial German.


stein-

From Stein (“stone”). Originally used in semantically transparent forms like steinalt (“stone-old”), steinhart (“stone-hard”), steintaub (“stone-deaf”), steintot (“stone-dead”), etc. Then generalised to other adjectives without a semantic relation to the basic word, such as steinreich (literally “stone-rich”). See the same in Dutch steengoed (literally “stone-good”), Icelandic steinóður (literally “stone-mad”). Compare further German stock-.


öko-

From Ancient Greek οἶκος (oîkos, “house”).


after-

Aftermieter

(no longer productive) after-, sub-, second (expressing that something comes after another thing)

Afterklaue

Afterbildung

Afterlehre

(no longer productive) pseudo-, spurious (expressing that something is false or fake)


philo-

From combining form of Ancient Greek φίλος (phílos, “beloved, dear”), φιλέω (philéō, “to love”), of unknown origin.


emp-

Assimilation of ent- before f-. In Middle High German, assimilated and non-assimilated forms were used interchangeably; compare enphinden alongside entvinden. Eventually, the form emp- became standardised in three verb stems. Compare the similar assimilation -ntb- → -mp- in empor, Wimper, and Himper (archaic variant of Himbeere).

Alternative form of ent-, only used in empfangen, empfehlen, empfinden, and derivatives of these.


quer-

Separable prefix, that denotes a physical diagonal direction of the verb.


miss-

From Middle High German mis-, misse-, from Old High German missa-, from Proto-Germanic *missa- (“wrongly, badly”).

inh

Misserfolg, missverständlich, missachten

Same functions and meanings as the English prefix mis-; a nominal, adjectival and inseparable verbal prefix that negates the meaning or expresses the opposite of its stem or indicates that something isn't being done correctly or isn't correct or good.


general-

general (Including or involving every part or member of a given or implied entity, whole etc.)


haupt-

From Middle High German houbet-, from Old High German houbit-, from Proto-West Germanic *haubida-, derived from the noun *haubid (“head”) (whence German Haupt). Cognate with Dutch hoofd- and Old English hēafod-. More at Haupt.


nicht-

See nicht (“not”). Akin to Afrikaans nie- and Dutch niet-.


vorbei-

vorbeigehen, vorbeifahren


schwieger-

Taken out of the clarifying compound Schwiegermutter (“mother-in-law”), itself from Schwieger (“mother-in-law”), from Old High German swigar (“mother-in-law”), from Proto-West Germanic *swegru, from Proto-Germanic *swegrō, from Proto-Indo-European *sweḱrúh₂. Related to Schwager (“brother-in-law”), Schwäher (“father-in-law”). Cognate with Alemannic German schwëcher-.


riesen-

From Riese (“giant”). Compare the cognate Dutch reuze-, and Swedish jätte- which is formed similarly.


hinein-

A prefix, conveying a movement into something.


achter-

From German Low German. See achtern for more.

(nautical) after-, back- (in the back of the ship)


küchen-

At first in Küchenlatein, then generalized. From Küche (“kitchen”), where, in the past, the less educated women and/or house servants would speak among each other.

küchen- + Psychologie (“psychology”) → Küchenpsychologie (“armchair psychology”)

küchen- + Latein (“Latin”) → Küchenlatein (“dog Latin”)

amateurish, unqualified, (fig.) armchair


Feld-Wald-und-Wiesen-

From Feld (“field”), Wald (“forest”), and Wiese (“meadow”), that is, the habitat of most Central European animals and plants. Compare English garden variety, common-or-garden and Dutch huis-tuin-en-keuken-.

Das kannst du mit deiner Feld-Wald-und-Wiesen-Säge nicht machen. Da brauchst du ein Spezialgerät.

You can't get this done with your everyday saw. You'll need a special machine.

(colloquial, idiomatic) common-or-garden; everyday, ordinary


gegen-

gegen in compounds. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *gagin. Cognate with English gain-.


melde-

Relating to registration, dispatches, or announcements


binnen-

Form Middle Low German binnen (“within”). See binnen for more.

Binnenhafen

Binnenhandel

inland trade (excluding international trade)

Binnenstruktur

Binnenflüchtling

internal refugee (who has not left his home country)


raus-

A prefix, conveying a movement out of something.


meist-

das meistgelesene Buch

the most read book (read most often, by most people)

der meistkritisierte Politiker

the most criticized politician (criticized most often, by most people)

forms the superlative of past participles when this form is used to express frequency


stock-

From Stock (“stick, staff”). Originally in forms like stocksteif (literally “stick-stiff”), stockstill (literally “stick-still”), then generalised. Compare the same in stein-.

stockbesoffen (very drunk, wasted, plastered)

stockdunkel, stockduster, stockfinster (pitch black)

stocksteif (very stiff, very formal)

stockschwul (blatantly gay, homosexual)

stocktaub (deaf as a post)


miß-

Formerly standard spelling of miss- which was deprecated in the spelling reform (Rechtschreibreform) of 1996.


sau-

From Sau (“sow, female pig”). Compare hunde- or hunds-, from Hund (“dog”).

sau- + teuer (“expensive”) → sauteuer (“very expensive”)

sau- + geil (“cool, awesome”) → saugeil (“very cool”)

(slang) Intensifies nouns and adjectives.

sau- + Wetter (“weather”) → Sauwetter (“terrible weather”)

sau- + Arbeit (“work”) → Sauarbeit (“unpleasant work”)

(slang, derogatory) Creates disparaging or pejorative forms of nouns.


hinauf-

A prefix, conveying a movement upwards (toward the top)


hunde-

Hund (“dog”) + -e-. Compare grotten-, sau-.

hunde- + müde (“tired”) → hundemüde (“incredibly tired”)

Intensifies adjectives that denote undesirable qualities.

hunde- + Wetter (“weather”) → Hundewetter (“terrible weather”)

Intensifies nouns, giving them a negative quality.


zurecht-

/t͡suːˈʁɛçt/

From Middle High German ze rehte. Modern usage first attested in Luther's writings.

Adverbial and separable verbal prefix indicating an improvement or a correction.

zurecht- + biegen (“to bend”) → zurechtbiegen (“to bend into shape”)

Adverbial and separable verbal prefix indicating putting something into desired place or shape


anheim-

separable verb prefix that indicates movement to someone’s area of control


entgegen-

/ɛntˈɡeːɡən/

[ʔɛntˈɡeːɡŋ̩]

From entgegen. Can also be analyzed as the adverb entgegen forming compounds.

Separable verb prefix that indicates movement towards or against something.


empor-

From empor. Can also be analyzed as empor (adverb) forming compounds.

empor- + kommen (“arrive”) → emporkommen (“ascent”)

Separable verb prefix that indicates movement to the top of something.


scheiß-

scheiß- + Angst (“fear”) → Scheißangst (“extreme fear”)

scheiß- + freundlich (“friendly”) → scheißfreundlich (“falsely, shallowly friendly”)

(vulgar, sometimes derogatory) Intensifies nouns and adjectives.


weiter-

A verb prefix indicating the continuation of an action; equivalent to (?) on.


fehl-

fehl- + interpretieren (“interpret”) → fehlinterpretieren (“misinterpret”)

fehl- + Entscheidung (“decision”) → Fehlentscheidung (“wrong decision”)


hinunter-

a prefix; down-(?) (away from the speaker)


hoch-

A prefixed variation of the adverb hoch.


hinweg-

A verbal prefix indicating movement away from the speaker


drauflos-

A verb prefix indicating an action is done without planning;


Feld-, Wald- und Wiesen-

Alternative spelling of Feld-Wald-und-Wiesen-


hintan-

Fused adverb hintan that is now unused, earlier hindan, hindann, from Middle High German hin dan, a univerbation where the first word is well-known today’s hin and the second today’s dann in a now extinct local meaning (preserved better in dannen). Later it has been reanalyzed as hint, variant of today’s hinten, + an. There also exists a herdann, herdan, herdann-, herdan-.


mittel-

mittel- + Finger (“finger”) → Mittelfinger (“middle finger”)

mittel- + groß (“tall, big”) → mittelgroß (“medium-sized”)


pädo-

Ultimately from Ancient Greek παῖς (paîs, “child”).

pädo- + sexuell (“sexual”) → pädosexuell (“pedosexual”)


mehrweg-

From mehrere (“multiple, several”) + Weg (“way”).


ran-

A prefix, conveying a movement towards something.


öno-

From Ancient Greek οἶνος (oînos, “wine”).


doppel-

From doppel in compounds; compare doppelt.

doppel- + Bett (“bed”) → Doppelbett (“double bed”)

doppel- + Beschluss (“decision”) → Doppelbeschluss (“double-track decision”)

doppel- + Spitze (“leadership”) → Doppelspitze (“dual leadership”)

Indicates a doubling of the following noun; double-.


Allerwelts-

Allerwelts- + Name (“name”) → Allerweltsname

Allerwelts- + Geschmack (“taste”) → Allerweltsgeschmack (“basic taste”)

Allerwelts- + Wort (“word”) → Allerweltswort

(sometimes derogatory) Used to indicate something basic or banal; basic, everyday


letzt-

Letztgeborener


grotten-

* Possibly from dialectal Krotte (“toad”) + -n-. Compare hunde-, from Hund (“dog”).
* Alternatively from Grotte (“grotto”) + -n-. Compare Italian grottesco (“grotesque”), from grotta (“cave, grotto”).

grotten- + schlecht (“bad”) → grottenschlecht (“awful”)

grotten- + doof → grottendoof

(informal) Intensifies adjectives that denote undesirable qualities.


arsch-

arsch- + kalt (“cold”) → arschkalt (“bitterly cold”)

arsch- + Ruhe (“silence”) → Arschruhe (“dead silence, indisturbable silence”)

(vulgar, informal) Intensifies nouns and adjectives.


affen-

Affe (“ape”) + -n-. Compare hunde-, sau-.

affen- + Hitze (“heat”) → Affenhitze (“extreme heat”)

affen- + Zahn (“high speed”) → Affenzahn (“breakneck speed”)

(informal, sometimes derogatory) Intensifies nouns and adjectives.


einher-

/aɪ̯nˈheːɐ̯/

separable verbal prefix that indicates simultaneity or cooccurrence, that the subjects are acting in coordination

(higher register) separable verbal prefix that indicates a uniform movement


zyto-

From neo-Latin cytus (“cell”), from Ancient Greek κύτος (kútos, “a hollow”).


inne-

From Middle High German and Old High German inne, adverbial form of in.
An alternative adverb (chiefly in Upper German) was īn, whence modern ein-. These then came to be distinguished in such a way that the short-vowel form expressed stationary location (adverb of in + dative), while the long-vowel form expressed movement (adverb of in + accusative). This distinction is largely maintained in modern German (cf. darin vs. hinein). Accordingly the prefix inne- is generally used with stationary verbs.

inne- + haben (“to have”) → innehaben (“to hold, occupy”)

inne- + halten (“to hold, stop”) → innehalten (“to wait, pause”)

inne- + wohnen (“to dwell”) → innewohnen (“to indwell, be inherent”)

(rare, in verbs and deverbal nouns) in, inside, interior


stink-

From stinken (“to stink”). Likely back-formation from stinkfaul (“extremely lazy, slovenly”), possibly influenced by stock- and other scatological intensifier prefixes sau- and scheiß-. General use is only attested since the 1970s.

back-formation

stink- + sauer (“upset”) → stinksauer (“furious”)

stink- + normal (“normal”) → stinknormal (“completely normal, mundane”)

stink- + reich (“rich”) → stinkreich (“stinking rich”)

(slang) stinking, intensifies adjectives, usually with a pejorative or dismissive tone.


fest-

From the adjective fest, from Middle High German vest, from Old High German festi, from Proto-West Germanic *fast, from Proto-Germanic *fastuz.

separable verbal prefix that signifies an action that results in the object being in a firm, tightened, fastened, or attached state