echt

English

Etymology

Borrowed from German echt (“real”). The German term originates from Middle Low German echt (“lawful, genuine”), contraction of ehacht, variant form of ehaft (“lawful, pertaining to the law”) from ê(e) (“law, marriage”). First use in English appears c. 1916.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛkt/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -ɛkt

Adjective

echt (comparative more echt, superlative most echt)

1. Proper, real, genuine, true to type.
   • 1980, Anthony Burgess, Earthly Powers, Penguin, page 8:

     I had heard [the phrase] in Lamb House, Rye, but it was less echt Henry James than Henry James mocking echt Meredith.

   • 2002 March 27, Buck Turgidson, “Heebetudinous”, in alt.california‎ (Usenet):

     And yes, that's what it's about. Some punk writing about sleeping with Ginsberg, despite their fifty-year age difference and homogenous sexuality. What's echt heebish? There's your answer. A hack fag poet and the power to plant him on playlists nationwide.

   • 2009 January 18, Ross Douthat, “When Buckley Met Reagan”, in New York Times‎:

     An echt Burkean with a snob’s disdain for the contemporary Republican Party, Hart hinted at a road not taken […] .

Translations

Anagrams

• Chet, Tech., chet, etch, hect-, tech

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from German echt, from Middle High German echt, from Middle Low German echt.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Hyphenation: echt

Adjective

echt (indeclinable)

1. (colloquial) echt, genuine, pure, unadulterated

   Synonyms: nefalšovaný, opravdový, ryzí

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

• echt in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• echt in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
• echt in Internetová jazyková příručka

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛxt/

• audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: echt
• Rhymes: -ɛxt
• Homophone: Echt

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch echt, from Old Dutch *ēhaft, from Proto-West Germanic *aiwahaft.

Adjective

echt (comparative echter, superlative echtst)

1. authentic, true, genuine, real

   Synonyms: waar, heus

   Antonyms: onecht, nep, vals

   Dit is een echt kunstwerk, geen kopie.

   This is an authentic artwork, not a copy.

   Hij heeft een echte diamant gekocht.

   He bought a genuine diamond.

   Ze speelt de rol van een echte prinses in het toneelstuk.

   She plays the role of a real princess in the play.

   Het tweede schilderij is echter dan het eerste.

   The second painting is more authentic than the first.

   Zijn argumenten zijn echter dan die van haar.

   His arguments are truer than hers.

   Dit is het echtste verhaal dat ik ooit heb gehoord.

   This is the most authentic story I have ever heard.

   Hij heeft de echtste glimlach.

   He has the truest smile.

Inflection

Derived terms

• echt lepelblad
• echte salie
• echtheid
• onecht
• rasecht
• in het echt

Descendants

• Afrikaans: eg
• Petjo: echt, echies
• → Papiamentu: echt

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

echt m (uncountable)

1. The institution marriage, matrimony.

   Synonym: huwelijk

   Hij gelooft sterk in het belang van echt en gezin.

   He strongly believes in the importance of marriage and family.

   In sommige culturen is echt nog steeds een heilige verbintenis.

   In some cultures, matrimony is still considered a sacred bond.

   Ze heeft haar hele leven toegewijd aan het verdedigen van het concept van echt als hoeksteen van de samenleving.

   She has dedicated her entire life to defending the concept of marriage as the cornerstone of society.

Derived terms

• echtelijk
• echtgelofte
• echtgenoot
• echtscheiding

Descendants

• Negerhollands: echt, echte

German

Alternative forms

• ächt (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle High German echt, borrowed from Middle Low German echt (“lawful, genuine”). The original form is Middle Low German ēhaft (“lawful”), from ē (“law”) (related to modern Ehe); then ēhacht by the Low German development -ft- → -cht- (compare Nichte); and eventually contracted into echt. Cognate to Old High German ēhaft (“honourable”) and Dutch echt.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛçt/

• audio (Austria)

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛçt

Adjective

echt (strong nominative masculine singular echter, comparative echter, superlative am echtesten)

1. authentic, genuine, true

   Die Jacke ist aus echtem Leder.

   The jacket is made of genuine leather.

   • 1994, “Es möchte echt sein”, in In Echt, performed by Die Sterne:

     Hallo Lexikon, erklär mir wie das funktioniert / Es möchte echt sein / Echt

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. (chiefly colloquial) real; factual

   Synonyms: wirklich, tatsächlich

   Der Film ist nah an der echten Geschichte.

   The film is close to the real story.

3. (mathematics) proper

   echte Teilmenge ― proper subset

Declension

Derived terms

• echtgolden
• Echtheit
• echt jetzt
• echtsilbern
• in echt
• waschecht

Descendants

• → English: echt

Adverb

echt

1. (chiefly colloquial) really; indeed

   Synonym: wirklich

   Das war echt gut. ― That was really good.

Interjection

echt

1. expresses disbelief or shock at new information

   Synonym: wirklich

   "Ich lebe erst seit 2 Jahren in Deutschland." "Echt? Du sprichst sehr gut Deutsch." ― "I've only been living in Germany for 2 years." "Really? Your German is very good."

Further reading

• “echt” in Duden online
• “echt” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Kashubian

Etymology

Borrowed from German echt.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛxt/
• Syllabification: echt

Adjective

echt (indeclinable)

1. authentic, genuine, true

Further reading

• “echt”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022

Scots

Verb

echt

1. Alternative form of aicht (“to own”)

References

• “echt, v.tr.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.