Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
Knabe. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
Knabe, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
Knabe in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
Knabe you have here. The definition of the word
Knabe will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
Knabe, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
German
Etymology
From Middle High German knabe, from Old High German knabo, chnabo, from Proto-West Germanic *knabō.
Pronunciation
Noun
Knabe m (weak, genitive Knaben, plural Knaben, diminutive Knäbchen n or Knäblein n or Knäbelein n)
- (dated, now literary, humorous or Southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland and US) knave, boy, lad
1782, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Erlkönig:Er hat den Knaben wohl in dem Arm- He holdeth the boy tightly clasp'd in his arm
- Edgar Alfred Bowring, The Poems of Goethe Translated in the Original Metres
Usage notes
- Knabe used to be the most common term for “boy” until about 1930. As the word was restricted to written style and had no basis in any regional dialects, it has since been replaced with more native Junge (throughout the language area) or Bube (alternatively in southern Germany and Austria).
- It still occurs in compounds such as Prügelknabe and Chorknabe.
Declension
Derived terms
Descendants
References
Further reading
- “Knabe” in Duden online
- “Knabe” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache