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Meerschwein. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
Meerschwein, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
Meerschwein in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
Meerschwein you have here. The definition of the word
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German
Etymology
From Middle High German merswīn, from Old High German meriswīn, from Proto-West Germanic *mariswīn, from Proto-Germanic *mariswīną; equivalent to Meer + Schwein. Compare archaic English mereswine.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmeːɐ̯ˌʃvaɪ̯n/
- Hyphenation: Meer‧schwein
Noun
Meerschwein n (strong, genitive Meerschweines or Meerschweins, plural Meerschweine, diminutive Meerschweinchen n)
- (obsolete) porpoise; dolphin
- Synonym: Delphin
1844, Friedrich Höhne, Wahn und Überzeugung, Weimar: Wilhelm Hoffmann:Besonders aber bringen bei warmer Witterung und ruhiger See die Meerschweine (Delphine) eine Abwechselung in das alltägliche Leben, da solche oft in stundenlangen Linien, einer hinter dem andern, zwei bis drei Schuhe hohe Sprünge über die Wasserfläche machen.- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- (usually diminutive) guinea pig
- Synonym: Meerschweinchen
Declension
Declension of Meerschwein
Further reading