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munkeln. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
munkeln, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
munkeln in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
munkeln you have here. The definition of the word
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German
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle Low German munkelen (“to speak in private”). Further origin unknown, possibly onomatopoeic, similar to mummeln.
Pronunciation
Verb
munkeln (weak, third-person singular present munkelt, past tense munkelte, past participle gemunkelt, auxiliary haben)
- (chiefly impersonal) to rumour/rumor
- Man munkelt, dass… ― One rumored that…
- Es wird gemunkelt, dass… ― Rumour has it that…
1832, Dorothea Tieck, transl., “Erster Aufzug, Erste Szene”, in Coriolanus, translation of original by William Shakespeare:Unsre Sache ist dem Senat nicht unbekannt; sie haben davon munkeln hören seit vierzehn Tagen, was wir vorhaben und das wollen wir ihnen nun durch Taten zeigen. Sie sagen, arme Klienten haben schlimmen Atem: sie sollen erfahren, daß wir auch schlimme Arme haben.- Our business is not unknown to the senate; they have had inkling this fortnight what we intend to do, which now we'll show 'em in deeds. They say poor suitors have strong breaths: they shall know we have strong arms too.
- (rather rare) to whisper; to mutter; to speak in private
Im Dunkeln ist gut munkeln.- The night is the right to whisper in private.
1878, Conrad Ferdinand Meyer, Der Schuß von der Kanzel:Er aber ist nie zu Hause, sondern fährt wie ein Satan auf dem See herum, blitzschnell in einer zwölfrudrigen Galeere, die er mit seinen Leuten bemannt. Meine Pfarrkinder reißen die Augen auf, werden unruhig und munkeln von Hexerei.- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Conjugation
Conjugation of
munkeln (
weak, auxiliary
haben)
1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.
Composed forms of
munkeln (
weak, auxiliary
haben)
Further reading
- “munkeln” in Duden online
- “munkeln” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- Friedrich Kluge (1989) “munkeln”, in Elmar Seebold, editor, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache [Etymological Dictionary of the German Language] (in German), 22nd edition, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 492
- Friedrich Kluge (1883) “munkeln”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891