Wagen

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See also: wagen, Wägen, and wägen

German

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Middle High German wagen, from Old High German wagan, from Proto-West Germanic *wagn.

Cognate with Bavarian Wågn, Dutch wagen, English wain (and wagon, borrowed from Dutch), West Frisian wein, Danish vogn, Swedish vagn. Doublet of Waggon, which was borrowed from English.

Noun

Wagen m (strong, genitive Wagens, plural Wagen or Wägen, diminutive Wägelchen n)

  1. a wheeled vehicle for transporting anything
    1. a car, an automobile, a vehicle
      • 1929, Kurt Tucholsky, Das Lächeln der Mona Lisa (Sammelband), Ernst Rowohlt Verlag, page 110:
        Heute haben wir den 28. Juli, der Pariser Autobusführer sitzt vorn am Steuerrad und wendet den schweren, langen Wagen, als ob es ein kleiner Zweisitzer wäre.
        Today is the 28th of July, the Parisian autobus driver sits in front at the steering wheel and turns around the heavy, long vehicle as if it were a small two-seater.
    2. a railroad car
      Synonym: Eisenbahnwagen
    3. a wagon, a cart (drawn by a person, by horses, by oxen, etc)
  2. (astronomy) Dipper: either the Großer Wagen (“Ursa Major”) or Kleiner Wagen (“Ursa Minor”)
    • 2006, Der große illustrierte Atlas Erde & Weltraum, TESSLOFF Verlag, →ISBN, page 225:
      Wenn man von den beiden oberen Sternen des Wagens zwei gedachte Linien nah links zieht, kommt man zum Kleinen Bären mit dem Polarstern. Wenn der Große Wagen aufgeht, sinkt im Nordwesten das wie ein großes M geformte Sternbild Kassiopeia.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • 2017, Susanne M. Hoffmann, Hipparchs Himmelsglobus: Ein Bindeglied in der babylonisch-griechischen Astrometrie?, Springer-Verlag (→ISBN), page 403, §4.1.6.2 Identifizierung der Sternbilder:
      Die Wagen. Die beiden Wagen […] bezeichnen mit großer Wahrscheinlichkeit unsere bekannten Figuren des Großen und Kleinen Wagens.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Usage notes
  • The plural Wägen is standard in Austrian German. In Germany it is chiefly colloquial and heard most commonly in southern regions. In some parts of central and northern Germany, both plurals are used with Wägen preferred for small trolleys, but Wagen for cars.
Declension
Declension of Wagen
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein der Wagen die Wagen, Wägen
genitive eines des Wagens der Wagen, Wägen
dative einem dem Wagen den Wagen, Wägen
accusative einen den Wagen die Wagen, Wägen
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Related terms

Etymology 2

Noun

Wagen n (strong, genitive Wagens, no plural)

  1. gerund of wagen
Declension
Declension of Wagen
singular
indef. def. noun
nominative ein das Wagen
genitive eines des Wagens
dative einem dem Wagen
accusative ein das Wagen

Further reading

  • “Wagen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • “Wagen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
  • “Wagen” in Duden online
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