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Geschlecht. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
Geschlecht, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
Geschlecht in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
Geschlecht you have here. The definition of the word
Geschlecht will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
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German
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle High German geslechte, from Old High German gislahti, a collective formation from slahta, from Proto-Germanic *slahtō, related to *slahaną (“to strike, hit”).
Cognate with Dutch geslacht, Middle Low German geslechte, Italian schiatta, Polish szlachta. The Germanic root is that of Schlag, schlagen (“strike, beat”). The modern sense developed among this root's descendants first in Menschenschlag (“group of people characterised by common traits”), in which the underlying meaning of Schlag is "strike of coinage".
Pronunciation
Noun
Geschlecht n (strong, genitive Geschlechts or Geschlechtes, plural Geschlechter or (obsolete) Geschlechte)
- sex; gender
- (grammar) gender
1835, Theodor Heinsius, Sprachlehre der Deutschen, Berlin, page 85:Die Deutsche Sprache ordnet, wie jede andere, ihre Substantive nach gewissen Geschlechtern, deren wir drei haben: 1) das männliche (masculinum), 2) das weibliche (femininum), 3) das sächliche (neutrum). Kommen die beiden ersten Geschlechter einem Worte zugleich zu, so sagt man: sein Geschlecht ist ein Doppelgeschlecht oder ein gemeinschaftliches (commune); kommen ihm alle drei zu, so ist es generis omnis, oder ein Allgeschlecht.- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- sex organ
- genus, type, race
- lineage, generation, family
- dynasty, house
Declension
Synonyms
Derived terms
Further reading