Elter

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word Elter. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word Elter, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say Elter in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word Elter you have here. The definition of the word Elter will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofElter, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: eltér and ełter

German

Etymology

Back-formation from Eltern. Cognate with English elder.

Pronunciation

Noun

Elter n or m (mixed, genitive Elters, plural Eltern)

  1. (biology, otherwise nonstandard) singular of Eltern; a parent of unspecified sex.
    • 1997, Benedikte Hatz, Untersuchungen der genetischen Diversität innerhalb der Gattung Hordeum mit molekularen Markertechniken, page 85:
      So war die genetische Distanz einer Sorte zu dem Elter, von dem die größere Allelanzahl erhalten wurde, in der Regel geringer als zu dem Elter, von dem weniger Allele vererbt wurden.
      This meant the genetic distance of a kind to the parent from which the greater number of alleles were received was generally less than that to the parent from which few alleles were inherited.
    • 2006, Peter F. Hamilton, edited by Rainer Schuhmacher, Die Boten des Unheils, translation of Pandora's Star, page 441:
      Kurz bevor der Elter starb, erzählte er mir, dass er die kleinen Nicht-Tiere gesehen hätte
      Shortly before the parent died, he told me that he had seen the little not-animals
    • 2009, Susanne Weinert Portmann, Familie - ein Symbol der Kultur, page 182:
      Die Kinder kennen das Sprachgeräusch, den Tonfall, wissen, wie hoch der Lärmpegel sein wird, wenn sie, mit ihren Taschen und allem sonst nötigen versehen, die Haustüre hinter sich schließen. Das Elter ist oft erschöpft.
      The children recognize the sound of speech, the tone of voice, and know how high the noise level will be when they close the front door behind them carrying their bags and other essentials. The parent is often exhausted.

Usage notes

Declension

Declension of Elter
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein das, der Elter die Eltern
genitive eines des Elters der Eltern
dative einem dem Elter den Eltern
accusative ein, einen das, den Elter die Eltern

Further reading

  • “Elter” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • “Elter” in Duden online
  • “Elter” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia