This is an on-line dictionary for the constructed East Germanic language Konigsbergesk (natively known as Kunigsbairgesk). It is a personal project headed by just me, so I doubt it is of much use to anyone, but you are free to use the contents of this page for any reason. Note that this dictionary is in Konigsbergesk to English; for the English-Konigsbergesk dictionary, see here, and for the phrasebook, see here. Everything is a WIP, so please point out any errors. I would estimate this is at around 60% completion; my goal is to have this completed by the end of the month, and then proceed to the phrasebook.
Entries in the dictionary are formatted as such:
LEMMA (headword)
A word (or phrase) used to serve as the canonical form of a word.
PRONUNCIATION
This dictionary uses IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet). If you're unfamiliar with IPA, a guide can be found here. Pronunciation is usually not demarcated as Konigsbergesk has a simple pronunciation system.
PART OF SPEECH
What type of word this is (e.g. noun, verb, adverb, adjective).
DEFINTION
Provides the meaning of a word.
USAGE NOTES
Provides notes on how to use this word, and/or specific complexities.
EXAMPLE
Self-explanatory.
ETYMOLOGY
The origin of a word; from Old French ethimologie, from Latin etymologia, from Ancient Greek ἐτυμολογία (etumologίa).
A personal mnemonic is to format things as acronyms (in this case LPPDPUEE). As far as I know, this format is the standard for most dictionaries. All entries will be listed in alphabetical order.
Konigsbergesk is an East Germanic language.
It is a Latin alphabet, read left-to-right, which contains 26 letters; A, Å, Æ, B, D, E, F, G, H, I, Ï, J, K, L, M, N, O, Ø P, R, S, ß, T, Þ U, V, Y. Some letters may be listed in the dictionary despite not being part of the standard alphabet. That is usually because the word is a borrowing from another language that contains the letter; e.g. Zentrum, "center", Quiz (quiz), Prix, "prize". Each diacritic and character has a particular function. For example, the diaeresis ( ̈ , not usually considered part of the alphabet due to its infrequent use) in A, E, I, U, or, rarely, Y serves to prevent mispronunciation of the vowel before or after it (Økonomïe is "Oe-ko-nom-i-e", not "Oe-kon-om-ie", and Koälition is Ko-a-li-sh-on). The letter Å represents a long A, as in Swedish. The letter Æ represents the digraph "ae". Ø represents the digraph "OE", as in Norwegian, and sometimes replaces the diaeresis in O, and Þ represents the "TH" digraph. Lastly, the Eszett represents the digraph "SS"; derived from the obsolete long S ſ. It is always capitalised as SS, unlike German, where there has been a longstanding debate over the issue. Note that the Eszett appears in all usages of "SS"; Konigsbergesk uses Biß (bite) and not Biss.
Since Konigsbergesk is an East Germanic language, most of the core vocabulary is inherited from Gothic. However, Gothic has been extinct since c. 10th century, and Konigsbergesk diversified as a language around the 4th century. As such, they are not mutually intelligible. Konigsberg itself has been under many occupations during its existence, allowing for some distinct features and loanwords. Indeed, a significant portion of the lexicon can be dated by what language they were borrowed from; e.g. Old Norse words are from c. 8th century to 15th century, Middle Low German words are from the 13th-16th centuries, Polish loanwords are generally from c. 16th to 18th centuries.
Since the 1600s, French has been considered a language of prestige since roughly the mid 16th century, and is often taught as a secondary language. Much of the jargonic or higher-echelon words are derived from Middle or modern French (e.g. "Noir", darkness, of the same meaning, though usually noir refers to the colour black in French). This can be attributed to the de la Tour d'Auvergne royal family, who ruled Konigsberg at various points from 1633 until 1946, and trace their origins to Olliergues in central France. Globalisation has introduced some words that likely would not have occurred naturally, e.g. "Anime" (anime) or "Lag" (lag, in the computing sense).
Loanwords adapt to native Konigsbergesk grammar, but are unchanged in pronunciation and appearance. The only exception is if a borrowing contains a non-native diacritic; for example, café (coffee shop) would be spelt Cafe. A word containing a non-native letter can be altered, (a capella - a kapella), though this is mostly a personal decision. Konigsbergesk tends to remove double consonants when inheriting from Gothic or borrowing from other languages; figgrs (finger, from Gothic) → figur, though this is not always the case; stemmen (voice/vote, from Middle Low German) → stemmen. If the double consonant is SS, it will collapse into ß. Similarly, Konigsbergesk collapses double vowels into Å Ø, etc.
Konigsbergesk began to develop around the 4th and 5th centuries as an offshoot of Gothic. While much of the Goths had begun a migration and pillaging campaign southwards into Ukraine and then Bulgaria, a large contingency settled in Konigsberg and established various petty kingdoms. Their territories looked not unlike their current borders; likely extending from Gdansk through to Suwalki and Klaipeda. The early kingdoms, particularly in the north, interacted with the neighbouring Curonians, who occupied what is now known as Courland. Most of the earliest borrowings in Konigsbergesk (like gov) originate from there.
There had been a longstanding goal to unify these kingdoms. They were weak, embroiled in war, and could potentially be open to a foreign invasion. During the period of 656-689, a campaign led by Volf the Great and his son Theodorikus succeeded in this goal. They originated from and are named for the city of Konigsberg, and imposed their dialect upon the peoples. An edict from 692 pertaining to this, known as the Theodorikus Script, serves as the main source of knowledge for Old Konigsbergesk. Despite these conflicts, the kingdom was largely stable. Based on the hydronym for the Gardersee, it is likely that Konigsberg acquired the territories surrounding it sometime during the mid 700s.
This initial peace would not last, however. In 829, the first documented Viking raid occurred in a monastery in Krokova, though raids before this had been occurring for some time. Konigsbergesk was a particular target for them, as it was relatively close in distance, was fertile, and would provide a foothold for future expansion into eastern Europe. According to contemporary reports, the invasion began when a large band of Swedes landed on January 854, close to modern day Hel. A quick campaign ensued, with the Konigsbergens defeated at the Battle of Klaipeda by the semi-legendary Ragnar Lodbrok. Emboldened by this success, a coalition of Danes and Swedes, known as the Great Heathen Army, would later attempt the occupation of England from 865-878.
Following this defeat, Konigsberg was subjugated by the Kingdom of Denmark, and its lands fell under their loose control. Sporadic resistance from nobles was attempted, but they were vanquished with little resistance. It is known that the territories were still under Danish control by the period of Gorm the Old, the first properly attested Danish king. During his reign, a series of annals pertaining to Konigsberg and its political situation was created. While much of the texts are lost, they indicate that by 950, Konigsbergesk had recieved significant Old Norse influence.
Konigsberg was likely Christianised along with the Kingdom of Denmark c. 965, following Harald Bluetooth's declaration. However, pagan tradition persisted in rural areas. Capitalising on Harald's tenuous control and preoccupation over Norway, a group of pagan nobles lead by Batvin the Bold defeated Bluetooth and re-established the Kingdom of Konigsberg, with himself as the head.
Batvin's rule quickly proceeded to become unpopular, due to his persecution of the growing Christian minority. Following a stake-burning in which 22 Christians were killed, Batvin was assassinated on July or August 19, 993, 23 years into his reign. The sudden death provoked immediate civil strife, with four successors vying for the throne. This unrest continued for 25 years, before it was halted by Cnut the Great's reoccupation of Konigsberg in 1019.
Similar to the initial occupation, some resistance campaigns were attempted by nobles throughout the early 11th century, though none were successful. Danish rule had stabilised by the end of Sweyn II's rule in 1076, and much of the pagan remnants had been eliminated by Canute IV. However, the repeated Danish civil wars (1131-1134; 1139-1143; 1146-1157) caused great discontent amongst the powerful tradesmen and guilds. In 1153, the market towns broke away from Denmark, and joined the Holy Roman Empire as city states.
Throughout the 13th and 14th century, the market towns, particularly those near the coast, were involved in the Hanseatic League, allowing for a major boon in trade and wealth due to Konigsberg's strategic position in the Baltic Sea. In fact, the name for the city of Konigsberg is still officially the Hanseatic City of Konigsberg to this day. The city states also became much more centralised during this period, and a slow process of consolidation began. Konigsberg absorbed Pillava in 1223, then Braunsberg in 1254, before annexing Memel in 1279, allowing it to finally be promoted to an electorate. The proliferation of Middle Low German, the Hanseatic League's working language, caused many loanwords to enter the language, primarily from trade, though also for various miscellaneous items. Konigsberg's participation in the League allowed it to avert the "Ostsiedlung"; eastward migration of German peoples.
Konigsberg participated in the first Hanseatic-Danish War, and was a signatory of the Confederation of Cologne. With their victory in the second phase, Konigsberg obtained a 150 year lease on the island of Bornholm, which expired in 1520. A significant minority of the population still speaks Kuningsholm (a portmanteau of Kunigsbairg and Bornholm), a creole of Danish, Low German and Konigsbergesk to this day.
Despite these successes, the Hanseatic League's influence began to wane in the 15th century. As an electorate and not a city state, Konigsberg was under increased suspicion from the Emperor due to the considerable trade and wealth influence it exerted. Shortly after the League's victory in the second Dano-Hanseatic War, King Sigismund blocked Konigsberg's further participation in the League.
The electorate of Konigsberg was one of the first centers of the Protestant Reformation in 1520; like most Hanseatic or Hanseatic-adjacent members, changes in church life were actively enforced. Catholic bishops were removed and arrested, and the church was reorganized based on Lutheran church orders. In tandem, the Lutheran Church of Konigsberg was established in 1524.
Unsar Fader (Our Father)
Unsar Fader, hvas bist in Himin, hailag is din Nåmo. Din Kuningdom kimst. Din skal dun, ana di Airþe, also in Himin. Gib uns unsar dagleik Braud, jah fragib uns unsar Sunder, þat vi fragiben der hvas stornen jegen uns. Tiuhen uns ne tiuh in, þauh fraisen uns fram ubil. Din bist de Kuningdom, jah di Makt, jah di Andhul in altaim. Amen.
Vadderunsar (Our Father; Low German)
Uns Vadder in’n Himmel! Laat hilligt warrn dien Naam. Laat kamen dien Riek. Laat warrn dien Willen so as in’n Himmel, so ok op de Eerd. Uns dääglich Brood giff uns vundaag. Un vergiff uns unse Schuld, as wi de vergeven hebbt, de an uns schüllig sünd. Un laat uns nich versöcht warrn. Mak uns frie vun dat Böse. Denn dien is dat Riek un de Kraft un de Herrlichkeit in Ewigkeit. Amen.
Unser Vater (Our Father; Standard German)
Vater unser im Himmel, Geheiligt werde dein Name. Dein Reich komme. Dein Wille geschehe, wie im Himmel so auf Erden. Unser tägliches Brot gib uns heute. Und vergib uns unsere Schuld, wie auch wir vergeben unsern Schuldigern. Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung, sondern erlöse uns von dem Bösen. Denn dein ist das Reich und die Kraft und die Herrlichkeit in Ewigkeit. Amen.
Fader vor (Our Father; Danish)
Fader vor, du som er i himlene! Helliget blive dit navn, komme dit rige, ske din vilje som i himlen således også på jorden; giv os idag vort daglige brød, og forlad os vor skyld, som også vi forlader vore skyldnere, og led os ikke ind i fristelse, men fri os fra det onde. For dit er Riget og magten og æren i evighed! Amen.
Fađir vr (Our Father; Faroese)
Fađir vár, Tú, sum ert í Himli. Heilagt verđi navn Títt. Komi ríki Títt. Verđi vilji Tín, sum í Himli, so á jørđ. Gev okkum í dag okkara dagliga breyđ. Og fyrigev okkum syndir okkara, so sum vit eisini fyrigeva teimum, iđ móti okkum synda. Leiđ okkum ikki v frestingar, men frels okkum frá tí illa. Tí at títt er ríkiđ, valdiđ og heiđurin um allar ævir. Amen.
English version
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven, Give us this day our daily bread: And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us: And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.
Note: Since Konigsberg is a primarily Protestant country, it tends to include the doxology (final sentence before "Amen"). In the Gothic version of the prayer, it is omitted.
Konigsbergesk uses -ar to denote all plurals, used across all genders. -s is the main alternative, used primarily for Franco-English loanwords. Words are pluralised as -ar unless otherwise denoted.
Konigsbergesk uses a dot as a numerical seperator; e.g. 1.000 Liuþar (1,000 people), and guillemets with spaces for quotations « 1.000 Liuþar ». Hyphens are not used in Konigsbergesk, so two words compounded together (e.g. Åpelbagmas, apple tree) would not be written Åpel-bagmas. : ; ? and ! have a space preceding them, as in French. Otherwise, the punctuation is identical to English.
Like in German and Luxembourgish, Konigsbergesk capitalises all nouns irrespective of context. This is particularly helpful when a word can appear as both a noun and another form. For example, "Null", meaning "zero", exists in a noun form ("di Null") and as a simple numeral (just "null"). To prevent reduplication of largely identical words, entries of this kind will be sorted by how common each form is. This practice began in the 16th century due to German influence, probably proliferated by the printing press. A similar practice was done in Danish until 1948. Capitalisation is also used for the start of a sentence, for proper nouns (Præsident), names of people or places.
Konigsbergesk utilises Eastern naming order, which means that the surname and first name are reversed (Smith John instead of John Smith). In formal contexts like documentation purposes, the definite article is prefixed to the name (de Smith John if male, di Smith Jane if feminine, þat Doe John if the person is unknown), which is also used in Bavarian. This use was codified in 1840, and originates from a formerly common practice in Central and Eastern Europe, though it is now in official contexts limited to Konigsbergesk, some Basque nationalists, and Hungarian.
Names of people from countries that use this order also stay the same (Murayama Tomiichi remains Murayama Tomiichi, Jiang Zemin remains Jiang Zemin, etc.) However, names of people from countries using Western name order are not changed, so Bill Clinton would stay as Bill Clinton in text. The only exception is monarchs or popes (Elizabeth II is II Elisabet, Pope John Paul II is II Johannes Paul Papa, etc.) People from Konigsberg will traditionally introduce themselves to foreigners using Western name order, and this is the format used for most international media outlets.
Konigsbergesk also has seperable family name affixes, similar to Dutch tussenvoegsels, Celtic family name prefixes, French particles, and the German von. The most common example is "van", meaning from (in the sense of a source or origin). The other instance is "de", a masculine nominative article (the). De was a prefix awarded by the ruling de la Tour d'Auvergne house (1633-1871; 1920-1938; 1946). As such, it is primarily held by former nobles or persons married to them. Conversely, van is a primarily toponymical indicator.
Konigsbergesk utilises SVO (subject-verb-object) word order and V2 order in main clauses, which is a feature present in all of the extant Germanic languages. Subordinate clauses typically revert to verb-final order, with the finite verb appearing at the end of the clause. Dependent clauses are introduced by subordinating conjunctions (such as þat "that" ef "if," and þauh "though"), which force the verb to the clause-final position. For example: Ik kunde þat di Fru sofnst ("I know that the woman is sleeping"). Relative clauses follow the same pattern, with a relative pronoun introducing the clause and the verb moved to the end (e.g. De mann, þat ik kunde, is min Herr "The man that I know is my lord").
Questions are split into two groups; a "yes-no question", a question which asks whether a statement is true, and a "Wh question", one which has many possible answers. They are verb-first, i.e. formed by inversion of the subject and the verb (e.g. Bi di Fru sofnst ? "Is the woman sleeping?"), in the same way as English. Konigsbergesk also possesses wh-movement, the idea of placing an interrogative word (like "what") at the start of a question. Wh questions will always start with the interrogative word, but yes-no questions can have conjunctions and/or topical elements precede the initial verb. (Di Fru, is di sofnst ? The woman, is she sleeping?)
There are several forms of negation in Konigsbergesk. For basic negation, the particle "ne" is prefixed in front of the finite verb (for example, Ik ne kan, meaning I don't know, lit. I no know). However, it shows signs of entering stage II of Jespersen's cycle; in colloquial or emphatic speech, a postverbial element will be added: Ik ne kan becomes Ik ne kan nocht (lit. I no know nothing). This is an example of double negation and negative concord, both of which are uncommon in the Germanic language family but relatively common elsewhere in Europe. Negative indefinites are usually prefixed with "ni" (see the negative pronoun table at the bottom of the page for examples).
For commands, Konigsbergesk uses the indicative 2nd person singular, without a pronoun preceding it; e.g. Gib ik der, lit. "Give I that", and, Gib min di Kauriþa da. lit. "Give my the burden that". They also utilise V1 word order.
The three genders; feminine, masculine, and neuter are preserved. Adjectives are not influenced by the gender of nouns, so a word like "blank" (shiny) appears the same irrespective of whether a masculine, (de blank Åpel), feminine, (di blank Þeiro), or neuter noun (þat blank Skip) succeeds it. However, agent nouns and professions are affected by gender; læran (to learn) becomes either Lærer (male use) or Lærerinna (female use). For generic or unspecified uses, it defaults to male gender. To prevent redundancy, the lemma will also default to the masculine form.
Indo-European
• Anatolian (extinct)
• Tocharian (extinct)
• Italic — Latin > Romance languages (French, Spanish, Italian, etc.)
• Celtic (Irish, Welsh, Breton, etc.)
• Hellenic — Ancient Greek > Modern Greek
• Balto-Slavic
• Baltic (Lithuanian, Latvian)
• Slavic (Russian, Polish, Serbian, etc.)
• Indo-Iranian
• Indic (Sanskrit, Hindi, Bengali, etc.)
• Iranian (Avestan, Persian, Kurdish, etc.)
• Germanic
• East Germanic
• Gothic (extinct)
• Burgundian (extinct)
• Vandalian (extinct)
• Konigsbergesk
• North Germanic
• Old Norse
• Icelandic
• Faroese
• Norwegian
• Danish
• Swedish
• West Germanic
• Old English > Middle English > Modern English
• Old High German > Middle High German > Modern German
• Old Saxon > Middle Low German > Modern Low German
• Old Dutch > Middle Dutch > Modern Dutch
• Frisian languages
• Yiddish (from High German, influenced by Hebrew/Slavic)
a capella (adverb)
1. In the manner of a choir singing without instrumental accompaniment.
Alternatively spelled "a kapella", since the letter "C" does not exist in native Konigsbergesk words.
Direct borrowing from Italian a capella ("in the manner of the chapel").
Adresse (noun, f.)
1. An address (in the sense of a description or instructions to determine a geographic location).
Uses plural -s. Direct 16th century borrowing from French adresse, itself from Old French adrece.
Advokat (noun, m.)
1. A lawyer.
C. 14th century borrowing from Old French advocat.
af (preposition)
1. (with dative) Off (no longer attached to), away from, out of, off of, etc.
2. (adverb) Away.
Inherited from Gothic af, in turn from proto-Germanic *ab.
Afi (noun, m.)
1. A grandfather.
2. Forefather, forebear, ancestor, etc.
From Old Norse afi, likely from proto-Germanic *awo (grandfather). Sense 2 is etymologically unclear; perhaps due to the association of grandfathers with age and storytelling. Cf. Icelandic afi (grandfather) and archaic ai (forefather, ancestor).
Airþ (noun, f.)
1. Ground.
2. Soil.
3. Earth (the planet).
4. (by extension of sense 3) A world, a space to live in.
Inherited from Gothic airþa, in turn from Proto-Germanic *erþo. Cognate of English earth, Dutch aarde, German Erde, etc.
Alfabet (noun, n.)
1. An alphabet.
C. 14th century, from Latin alphabētum.
also (conjunction, adverb)
1. Then, thus, so, hence.
2. To the same degree or extent; so, as.
3. As it is (already, in actuality).
Compound of a contracted form of "alle" (all) and "so" (same meaning as in English). Cf. English, German and Luxembourgish also, Dutch alzo.
altaim (adverb)
1. Forever, always.
Compound of a contracted form of "alle" (all) and "taim" (time). Cf. Dutch altijd, Swedish alltid, German allzeit, and others.
amen (adverb)
1. Amen (Christian religious affirmation usually at the end of prayers).
Inherited from Gothic amen, in turn from Biblical Hebrew "amen"; certainly, verily. Cognate to dozens of languages.
ana (preposition)
1. (usually with dative noun) On (positioned at the upper surface), on top of, above, covering, etc.
2. (with accusative) Onto, directed to, etc.
Inherited from Gothic ana, in turn from Proto-Germanic *ana. Cognate to all Germanic languages and Finnish ani, meaning "extremely".
Andhul (noun, f.)
1. (religious, otherwise formal) Revelation, glory.
Inherited from Gothic andhuljan "to reveal, uncover". The -jan suffix was dropped to form a root noun, even though andhul is not a word in Gothic.
anger (adjective)
1. Emotionally negative; sad.
2. (noun, m.) Sadness, regret, contrition.
From Old Norse angr, in turn from Proto-Germanic *angazaz. False friend of English anger, though a cognate.
angre (regular verb)
1. To become sad, to regret, repent.
See Anger.
Anime (noun, n.)
1. Anime, a type of animation originating from Japan.
Uses plural -s. From Japanese アニメ (anime), an abbreviation of アニメーション (animeeshon), and ultimately from English "animation".
at (preposition)
1. (usually with dative noun) At (in, near or in the general vicinity of a place, at a point in time).
2. (with dative) At a time, present or taking place at, etc.
Inherited from Gothic at, in turn from proto-Germanic *at. Closest cognate is English at.
Außo (noun, n.)
1. Ear (organ of hearing).
2. Hearing; ability to hear.
3. Handle (of a cup or bottle).
Inherited from Gothic auso, in turn from proto-Germanic *auso. Closest cognate with Old Norse eyra and descendants.
Aust (noun, n.)
1. East, eastern, easterly, etc. (also functions as an adjective and adverb).
From proto-Germanic *austraz, related to French est.
Ava (noun, f.)
1. A river.
Inherited from Gothic aƕa (the hwair collapsed into v due to phonetic shifts); in turn from proto-Germanic ahwō. Cognates are mostly archaic and obsolete, except Old Frisian ā and descendants, as well as Old Norse á and some descendants.
Å (interjection)
1. Oh (expression of surprise, wonder, understanding, etc.)
Likely onomatopoeic. Also used in Danish and Norwegian for the same purpose.
Åmmo (noun, f.)
1. A grandmother.
2. (informal, slightly derogatory) Any old lady, regardless of whether or not she has grandchildren.
In colloquial or childlike speech, is abridged to Åm. From proto-Germanic *ammo (mother, wet nurse, grandmother), probably not through Old Norse amma. The closest cognates are regional German Amme, Icelandic amma and Faroese omma, though the word in mainland Scandinavia has gained the meaning of wet nurse.
Åpel (noun, m.)
1. An apple.
2. (informal) Apple tree.
Inherited from Proto-Germanic *aplaz. Cognate with all known West Germanic languages. Sense 2 is a clipping of "Åpelbagmas".
Åpelbagmas (noun, m.)
1. An apple tree.
Compound of Åpel "apple" and the dated term "bagmas" (tree).
Bagmas (noun, n.)
1. A large tree.
2. (dated) A tree.
Mostly displaced by "Boom", but persists in compounds (e.g. Åpelbagmas, "apple tree".)
Inherited from Gothic bagms, "tree", in turn from Proto-Germanic *bagmaz.
bairan (regular verb)
1. To give birth.
2. (slightly dated) To engender (cause a birth).
3. To carry, to bring forth.
Inherited from Gothic bairan, originally meaning "to carry", ultimately from proto-Germanic *berana. The sense "give birth" arose from the collapse of the ga- perfective prefix in Konigsbergesk, merging with these senses, similar to Dutch baren.
bak (adjective, preposition, adverb)
1. Back (at or near the rear).
2. Behind (at or to the back or far side of).
3. (noun, n.) Back (rear of the body).
Borrowed from Old Norse bak; acquired the adverbial and preposition sense under influence from Swedish and Danish.
Bal (noun, f.)
1. A ball (fancy party).
Borrowing from French bal, c. late 15th century.
Baul (noun, m.)
1. A ball (round, spherical object).
2. (football) Pass, shot.
Probably from Old Saxon bal, of the same meaning. Cognate of German Ball, English ball, Dutch bal, etc.
Barn (noun, n.)
1. A child.
Inherited from Gothic barn, meaning "child", whence *barna in Proto-Germanic. Cognate of Proto-West Germanic *barn and descendants, and Old Norse barn and descendants.
Barnleik (noun, n.)
1. Childhood.
2. Childish, immature.
From "Barn" (child) and the suffix -leik.
Benne (noun, n.)
1. A bone.
From Proto-Germanic baina, meaning "leg" or a bone. Possibly influenced by dialectal Low German "benne", meaning "inside", and by extension Hungarian "benne", also meaning inside. Cognate with Dutch been, English bone, OHG bein, and descendants.
Berg (noun, m.)
1. A mountain, hill.
Inherited from Gothic *bairgs, in turn from proto-Germanic *bergaz. The "ai" collapsed into "e" from surroudning influence; cf. German Berg.
Ik bi en Mann.
I am a man.
Inherited from Proto-Germanic *biju / *wesan, with suppletive forms. Cognate with Gothic wisan, Old English beon/is, German sein, and Latin fui (via PIE).
Biß (noun, m.)
1. A bite.
From the root of bißen. See there for more details.
bißen (regular verb)
1. To bite.
Borrowed c. 8th century from Old High German bīzan, in turn from Proto-Germanic bītana. Cognate of English and most Frisian dialects bite, German beißen, etc.
blank (adjective)
1. Bright, glossy.
2. (noun, n.) Empty text.
From Middle Low German blank, from Old Saxon blank, from Proto-West Germanic *blank.
bleiban (regular verb)
1. To stay, remain.
2. To keep on doing something.
3. To loiter (remain in a place for too long).
Inherited from Gothic bileiban, in turn from Proto-Germanic *bilibana. Cognate of English belive, German bleiben, Dutch blijven.
Blok (noun, n.)
1. A block (thick, cuboid object).
2. A block (large group of buildings).
3. A bloc (political group).
4. A notepad.
From Proto-West Germanic *blokk, in turn from Proto-Germanic *blukka. Cognate of English, Swedish and German block, French bloc, Dutch, Frisian and Danish blok, Norwegian blokk.
blokken (regular verb)
1. To block (prevent from doing something).
2. To shape something into a block.
3. To block a phone number (prevent it from calling another number).
From Blok and the verb suffix -en. Sense 3 is likely a calque from English.
Bok (noun, f.)
1. A book.
From Proto-Germanic "boko", meaning "beech [tree]," though in East Germanic, it had acquired the meaning of "book" or writing in a broader sense. Cf. Gothic "boka".
Bombe (noun, f.)
1. A bomb (explosive device).
2. A bombe (round-shaped confection).
Uses plural -s. 17th century borrowing from French bombe, itself a borrowing of Italian bomba.
bomben (regular verb)
1. To bomb.
Bomber (noun, m.)
1. A bomber plane.
2. A bomber jacket.
Uses plural -s. C. 1930s borrowing from English bomber.
Boom (noun, m.)
1. A tree.
2. A pole or beam (usually wooden).
3. (noun, n.) A period of economic prosperity.
C. 15th century borrowing from Middle Low German bôm, in turn from Old Saxon bōm, from Proto-West Germanic *baum, from Proto-Germanic *baumaz. Akin to Dutch boom, Low German Baum, German Baum, West Frisian beam, English beam, and native Konigsbergesk bagmas. Sense 3 is a direct borrowing from English boom, c. 1920s.
Boum (noun, f.)
1. A dance event.
2. (interjection) The sound of an explosion.
Uses plural -s. Sense 1 is a borrowing from French "boum", c. 1960s. Sense 2 probably imitative.
Braß (noun, m.)
1. A loud noise, a hullabaloo.
2. (noun, n.) Brass (the orchestra section).
Sense 1 is a 14th century borrowing from Middle Low German bras; cf. German Brass, "anger, outrage". Sense 2 is a borrowing from English, c. 17th century.
Braud (noun, n.)
1. Bread, or a loaf of bread.
Inherited from Gothic *brauþ, in turn from proto-Germanic *brauda. Cognate of English bread, German brot, Dutch/Afrikaans brood, etc.
braun (adjective)
1. The colour brown.
2. (noun, n.) The colour brown.
From Old Saxon brūn, in turn from Proto-Germanic *brūnaz. Cognate of English brown, Dutch bruin, German braun, Old Norse brú;nn and descendants, French brun, uncommon Spanish/Portuguese/Italian bruno, and more.
Broþer (noun, m.)
1. A brother.
Inherited from Gothic broþar, in turn from proto-Germanic *broþer. Closest cognate is English brother. Likely gained the -er suffix due to influence from coordinate terms (eg. Vader).
Brun (noun, f)
1. A brow (bony ridge over the eyes).
2. A sharp edge, a rim.
Borrowed from Old Norse brún, of the same meaning; in turn from Proto-Germanic *bruwo. Cognate of Danish bryn, Englis brow, etc.
Buhse (noun, f.)
1. A box.
2. A rifle, cannon.
From Old High German buhse (a variant without the umlaut), in turn from proto West Germanic *buhsa, ultimately from Latin buxis. Many of the Slavic forms of "rifle" are also derived from OHG buhse.
Busk (noun, m.)
1. A bush, shrub, thicket, etc.
2. (derogatory) The middle of nowhere, the sticks.
Borrowing from Old Norse buskr, in turn from proto-Germanic *buskaz. Perfect cognate with Danish and Norwegian busk, and near-perfect cognate with Swedish buske.
Butter (noun, f.)
1. Butter (spread made from churned milk).
From Middle Low German bot(t)er, probably reinforced by German Butter. Cognate of English/German Butter, Dutch boter.
da (pronoun)
1. (demonstrative) Feminine form of that (used in front of feminine nouns; e.g. der Butter).
Dag (noun, m.)
1. A day (period of 24 hours).
2. Day (period of sunlight).
Inherited from Gothic dags, in turn from Proto-Germanic *dagaz. Cognate with English day, Dutch dag, German Tag, Old Norse dagr and descendants, and more.
dagleik (adjective)
1. Daily.
From Dag and -leik; see the former for more.
dauþ (adjective)
1. Dead.
2. (informal, hyperbolic) Exhausted, fatigued.
Inherited from Gothic dauþs. However, the main verb forms (dauþnan and diwan) and the noun (dauþus) no longer exist in modern Konigsbergesk, making this appear somewhat odd.
der (article)
1. The (used for all plural genitive nouns; e.g. der Hundar, der Fruar, der Taimar).
2. (pronoun, personal) 3rd person singular masculine personal pronoun; he.
3. (pronoun, demonstrative) Masculine form of that (used in front of masculine nouns; e.g. der Dag).
dessin
1. A drawing.
2. A design.
Deverbal of dessine; cf. French dessin.
dessine (regular verb)
1. To draw, to sketch something.
2. To design, draw up.
Direct borrowing c. 15th century from French dessine; first person singular present indicative of dessiner, itself a borrowing from Italian disegnare.
di (article)
1. The (used for feminine nouns).
2. (pronoun, personal) 3rd person singular feminine personal pronoun; she.
3. (pronoun, demonstrative) Feminine form of this (used in front of feminine nouns; e.g. di Dør).
Diktionår (noun, m.)
1. A dictionary.
Þat Rign kvistde de Diktionår.
The rain destroyed the dictionary.
C. 15th century borrowing from Middle French dictionnaire (also masculine). Cf. archaic German Diktionär.
din (pronoun)
1. 2nd person singular possessive pronoun; your, yours, thy, thine, etc. Can also function as a determiner.
From proto-Germanic *þhīnaz, of the same meaning. Cognate of many languages, e.g. English thy, Danish din, archaic German dein, and archaic Dutch dijn.
dis (pronoun)
1. (demonstrative) Masculine form of this (used in front of masculine nouns; e.g. dis Diktionår
Dør (noun, f.)
1. A door or a doorway.
From Old Norse dyrr, in turn from Proto-Germanic *durz. Cognate of English door, German Tür, Icelandic/Faroese dyr, etc.
drinkan (regular verb)
1. To drink.
2. (noun, n.) A drink (of any type).
From proto-Germanic *drinkana, possibly influenced by Vandalic drincan. Cognate with most Germanic languages.
du (pronoun)
1. Second-person singular personal pronoun; thou, you.
Inherited from Gothic þu, which persists in formal contexts. Probably morphed into "du" from surrounding Germanic influence.
dun (irregular verb)
1. To do something (execute an action).
1. (auxiliary, usually with dative noun) To do something (cause something to happen).
3. To place something.
From Proto-Germanic dōna. Cognate of all West Germanic languages, notably English do, German tun, Dutch doen.
ef (conjunction)
1. If.
From Old Norse ef, in turn from proto-Germanic *jabai. Partially displaced native Gothic jabai, which is now used to mean "whether" or "either".
ein (numeral)
1. (cardinal) One.
2. (noun, f.) One (as a digit or figure).
From Old Low German "ein", derived from Proto-West Germanic *ain and Proto-Germanic *ainaz.
E-Mail (noun, m.)
1. E-mail, a system of electronic messaging.
Direct borrowing c. 1980s from English "e-mail", which is an abbrevation of "electronic mail".
E-Mailadresse (noun, n.)
1. An e-mail address (a virtual location in which e-mail can be sent).
From E-Mail + adresse.
Energie (noun, f.)
1. Energy.
C. 16th century borrowing from French énergie; cognate of many languages.
etan (regular verb)
1. To eat.
Inherited from Gothic itan, in turn from proto-Germanic *etana. Became regularised sometime during the 7th century.
Euro (noun, m.)
1. The euro, a proposed unit of currency in the European Union.
Clipping of English "European"; was the winner of a public contest in 1995 to determine the name.
Europa (noun, f.)
1. Europe (continent).
2. Europe (Greek mythology).
3. Europe (moon of Jupiter).
Borrowing from Latin from Latin Europa, c. 10th century. Cognate with many langages.
Fader (noun, m.)
1. A father (in the sense of a paternal figure).
2. (usually capitalised FAder) God, the father of creation.
Inherited from Gothic fadar, in turn from proto-Germanic *fadēr. The second A likely shifted to E under neighbouring influence; cf. Danish fader, Dutch and Low German Vader, and Standard German Vater.
faur (preposition)
1. For, on behalf of, directed at.
2. Before (spatial and temporal).
3. In favour, support of.
Used with accusative. Inherited from Gothic faur, in turn from proto-Germanic *furi. Cognate to Old Norse for-, German fuer, etc.
filu (pronoun)
1. Much, a lot of.
2. (adverb) Very, to a great degree.
Inherited from Gothic filu, of the same meaning, in turn from proto-Germanic *felu.
fim (numeral)
1. (cardinal) Five.
2. (noun, f.) Five (as a digit or figure).
Inherited from Gothic fim, either a variant or misspelling of fimf, from Proto-Germanic *fimf. Cognate of Old Norse fimm and descendants, Old High German fimf and descendants, Dutch vijf, English five, etc.
Figur (noun, m.)
1. A finger.
Inherited from Gothic figgrs, from proto-Germanic *fingraz. Cognate of English/Danish/Swedish finger, Dutch vinger, etc.
Fotß (noun, m.)
1. A foot (lowest part of the leg).
2. (mostly dated) A foot (unit of length).
3. A base of something; similarly, a leg of a chair, table, stool, etc.
Inherited from Gothic fōtus, related to proto-Germanic fōts. Cognate with many Germanic languages, most notably English foot, German Fuß, Old Norse fótr and descendants.
Fotßbaul (noun, m.)
1. Association football; soccer.
Compound of Fotß and Baul; see each term for more specific etymologies.
Fr. (noun, f.)
1. (title) Miss or Mrs (no distinction is made).
Contraction of "Fru"; see there for further details.
fragiban (regular verb)
1. To forgive.
Inherited from Gothic fragiban; by surface analysis, from "fra-", obsolete suffix demarcating loss or destruction, and "giban" to give.
fram (preposition)
1. (with dative) From (starting point of time, movement or change).
2. (with dative) By, due to.
3. (adverb) Forth, forwards.
Inherited from Gothic fram, in turn from Proto-Germanic *fram.
frei (adjective)
1. Free; unrestricted.
2. Politically independent.
3. Unblocked, free movement.
Borrowed from Old Saxon frī, in turn from proto-Germanic *frijaz. Cognate of Dutch vrij, German frei, English free, etc.
freisan (regular verb)
1. To liberate, set free.
2. (by extension) To save, rescue.
From freis (archaic form of frei) and the verb-forming suffix -an.
friþ (noun, m.)
1. Peace.
2. (by extension) A peace treaty.
Inherited from Gothic *friþus, in turn from Proto-Germanic *friþuz. Cognate with German Friede, Dutch vrede, English frith.
Fru (noun, f.)
1. A woman.
2. A wife.
3. (dated, formal) Lady (in the sense of a lord's wife).
From Proto-Germanic *frawjō ("lady, woman"), via Old Saxon frūa and Middle Low German vrouwe. Cognate with Low German Fru, German Frau, Dutch vrouw, and Scandinavian frua. Originally "lady, mistress," the meaning shifted in different daughters: in Dutch and Low German to "woman" generally, in German also "wife," and in Scandinavian primarily "wife."
gamunan (regular verb)
1. To remember (recall something).
From the obsolete perfective prefix ga- and the verb munan (to think, suppose). The ga- prefix is dropped in most inheritances from Gothic unless the root verb means something quite different.
gard (noun, m.)
1. House (political and familial sense), household.
2. Yard, court.
3. Family, lineage.
Inherited from Gothic gards, in turn from proto-Germanic *gardaz.
gå (irregular verb)
1. To walk.
2. Passing of time.
3. To go, to leave. Also of the below senses:
4. To go (to attend).
5. To go (change in value).
6. To go (start).
7. To work properly, to function correctly.
8. To go (be in a continuous state).
9. To go with (fit well).
10. To go out (of electricity).
Borrowed from Old Norse gá, in turn from proto-Germanic *gana. Displaced Gothic-origin hvarbon. Cognate with Swedish, Danish and Norwegian, though the conjugation is different.
giban (regular verb)
1. To give.
Inherited from Gothic giban, in turn from Proto-Germanic *gebana. Cognate of English/Danish give, Dutch geven, German geben, Old Norse gifa and descendants.
glad (adjective)
1. Happy, glad.
From Old Norse glaður, related to gladi. Perfect cognate with Swedish, Norwegian and Danish glad.
glada (regular verb)
1. To please, cheer, gladden, etc.
See glad.
gladi (noun, f.)
1. Joy, happiness, merriment, etc.
From Old Norse gleði, related to glad. Note that the compound is irregular; the -i suffix in Old Norse does not exist in Konigsbergesk.
Glaß (noun, n.)
1. Glass (material).
2. Glass (container, jar).
3. Glass (amount of liquid).
From Old Saxon glas, in turn from Proto-West Germanic *glas, and Proto-Germanic *glasa. Cognate of many languages, most notably Finnish lasi, English glass, Dutch/Danish/Icelandic/Faroese/Nynorsk/German Glas, etc.
god (adjective)
1. Good, morally commendable.
2. Good, proficient.
3. Quite large in margin.
4. Good (close in relationship).
5. Good, tasty.
Inherited from Gothic goþus, in turn from proto-Germanic *godaz.
gov (noun, f.)
1. Cattle (also bovines more generally).
2. (more specifically) A cow.
From Eastern Proto-Baltic *guowis (an i-stem), ultimately Proto-Balto-Slavic *gaw-. Cognate with Latvian govs, Proto-Slavic *govedo and descendants.
Guþ (noun, n.)
1. A god, deity.
2. (Christianity, m.) God.
Sometimes spelled GUþ as a mark of reverence in Biblical texts; cf. German GOtt.
Inherited from Gothic guþa, in turn from Proto-Germanic *guda. Cognate of English/Dutch God, German Gott, etc.
haban (irregular verb)
1. To have; to possess, or to have as a property; to come into possession of something concrete or abstract.
Inherited from Gothic haban, in turn from proto-Germanic *habjana. Closest cognate with Old Norse hafa and descendants.
hailag (adjective)
1. (formal) Holy, hallowed, respected, etc.
Almost certainly inherited from Gothic hailags, though attestation for that word is poor and it is a hapax legomon.
Haka (noun, f.)
1. Chin (part of the body).
2. Hook, barb, calk, etc.
3. Complication, catch (like in the phrase "what's the catch").
4. (by extension, regular verb) To hook.
Borrowed from Old Norse haka, of the same meaning. Acquired the hook senses due to conflation with Old Norse haki (hook, pick).
hakken (regular verb)
1. To chop, to hack.
2. To hack (computing).
3. To be choppy, to not work properly.
4. To pick (with a pickaxe).
5. (noun, n.) A pick, pickaxe; a tool used to hack.
From Middle Low German hacken, cognate with Danish and Norwegian hakke, Icelandic and Faroese hakka, etc. Not related to haka. Sense 2 is a calque from English hack (computing sense).
haldan (regular verb)
1. To hold (to grasp).
2. To hold (to contain or store).
3. To hold (to maintain or keep to a position or state).
4. To hold (host an event).
5. To care for, nurture, etc.
6. To stay.
Inherited from Gothic haldan, in turn from proto-Germanic *haldana. Closest cognate with Old norse halda and descendants.
Hand (noun, f.)
1. A hand.
Inherited from Gothic handus, in turn from Proto-Germanic *handuz. Cognate of English/German/Dutch hand, Old Norse hond and descendants.
hatan (regular verb)
1. To hate.
See Hatiß.
Hatiß (noun, n.)
1. Hatred.
2. (literary, dated) Wrath.
Inherited from Gothic hatis, in turn from Proto-Germanic *hataz. Cognate of English hate, German Hass, Old Norse hatr and descendants.
Herr (noun, m.)
1. Sir, mister, gentleman.
2. (dated, formal) Lord (in the sense of a ruler).
3. (formal) Master (the owner of an animal).
From Old Saxon hērro (grey haired). Cognate of Danish, Swedish, and German Herr, Icelandic herra, Norwegian herre, Dutch heer, and English hoar.
Himin (noun, m.)
1. Sky.
2. Heaven.
3. Cloud cover.
Inherited from Gothic himins, meaning sense 2, in turn from Proto-Germanic *himinaz. Cognate of Old Norse himinn and descendants.
Hirn (noun, n.)
1. Brain (organ).
Borrowing from Old Saxon hirni, ultimately from protoGermanic *hirznija. Cognate of German and Bavarian Hirn.
Hjælp (noun, f.)
1. Help, assistance, aid.
2. (interjection) Help!
C. 8th century, from Old Norse hjálp. Cognate of Icelandic/Faroese hjálp, Danish hjælp, German Hilfe, English help, etc.
hjælpen (regular verb)
1. To help.
From Hjælp and the suffix -en. For more, see Hjælp.
Høvud (noun, n.)
1. Head (part of the body).
2. Head (main, chief of something).
3. Head (topmost part of some things).
From Old Norse hofuð, in turn from Proto-Germanic *hafuda or *habuda, northern form of *haubuda. Displaced Gothic haubiþ.
Hr. (noun, m.)
1. (title) Mr.
Contraction of "Herr"; see there for further details.
Hus (noun, n.)
1. A house.
2. (generically) Any dwelling.
From Old Norse hús, partially displaced Gothic razn.
hva (pronoun)
1. (interrogative) What.
1. (relative) What.
Inherited from Gothic hƕa, the nominative/accusative neuter of hƕas, effectively meaning "what". Derived from Proto-Germanic *hwaz, and similar in etymology to hvas. As with most pronouns, lacks gender distinctions.
hvar (pronoun)
1. (interrogative) Where.
1. (relative) Where.
Inherited from Gothic hƕar, effectively meaning "where". Derived from Proto-Germanic *hwar, and similar in etymology to other interrogative pronouns. Perfect cognate with Icelandic and Faroese hvar. As with most pronouns, lacks gender distinctions.
hvas (pronoun)
1. (interrogative) Who, whom.
2. (relative) Whoever, whom, someone who, etc.
Inherited from Gothic hƕas, the masculine form of "who", "what", in turn from Proto-Germanic *hwaz, of the same meaning. Most pronouns except the demonstratives "this", "that" and the universal "everyone" lack a distinction for gender.
hve (adverb)
1. (interrogative) How, to what degree or extent, by what means, etc.
2. (interrogative) Why, for what reason, etc.
Inherited from Gothic hƕe, of the same meaning, in turn from Proto-Germanic *hwē. The lack of distinction between "how" and "why" is fairly uncommon amongst Indo-European languages, but the merge is likely because they were nearly identical in appearance in Old Konigsbergesk (hve for "how" and hvē for "why").
hvileik (pronoun)
1. (interrogative) What sort of, what type of;, etc.; which.
2. (relative) Designates the one previously mentioned.
Inherited from Gothic hƕeleiks, of the same meaning, in turn from Proto-Germanic *hwilīkaz, "what kind of, what sort of...". Effectively a compound of "hve" (how/why), and "-leik" (like, in the sense of similar to). A similar (also inherited) formation exists in Danish hvilken.
Hydrogen (noun, m.)
1. Hydrogen.
C. 1783 borrowing from French hydrogène, coined by Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau and Antoine Lavoisier. Internationalism in most languages.
ik (pronoun)
1. I: first person singular personal pronoun.
From Proto-Germanic *ek. Cognate of Old High German ih and descendants, Old Norse ek and descendants, English I, etc.
immer (adverb)
1. (with comparative) To a greater degree over time; more and more.
2. (formal) Forever, always.
C. 13th century borrowing from Middle Low German immer, of the same sense 2 meaning. Cognate with German and Dutch immer, uncommon Middle English a mare (evermore).
in (preposition, adverb)
1. In (contained by), within, among.
2. In, to (moving in a specific direction).
Inherited from Gothic in, in turn from Proto-Gemanic *in.
ira (pronoun)
1. Third person singular feminine possessive pronoun; her. Can also function as a determiner.
Probably from Old Saxon ira; in turn from the singular genitive feminine ezōz in proto-Germanic.
iris (noun, m.)
1. Iris (part of the eye).
15th century learned borrowing from Latin iris.
iup (adverb)
1. Up, upwards.
2. So as to finish or use up.
Inherited from Gothic up, in turn from proto-Germanic *upp. Cognate with most Germanic languages.
ja (interjection, adverb)
1. Yes.
2. (noun, n.) An aye or a yes vote.
3. (interjection) An exclamation of delight or triumph.
From Proto-Germanic *ja. "ja" was initially a confirmation particle in Gothic, but had merged with "jai" (yes) in Konigsbergesk.
jabei (conjunction)
1. Whether.
2. Either.
Inherited from Gothic jabai, in turn from proto-Germanic *jabai.
jah (conjunction)
1. And.
Jah des swart Hundes benne...
And the black dog's bone...
2. Also.
Jah,
And also,
3. An acknowledgment of the previous statement, equivalent to "well" in English.
Jah, ji skulen kunden þat.
Well, you all should know that.
Inherited from Gothic "jah", with the same meaning, in turn from Proto-Germanic *jahw. Cognate of Sami jah. Not related to German jäh.
jegen (preposition)
1. (with dative) Towards, in the direction of.
2. (with accusative) Against, in opposition to, etc.
3. (sports, accusative) To, versus (in scores/results)>
From proto-Germanic *gagin. Cf. German gegen, Dutch tegen, of the same origin.
Jesus (noun, m.)
1. Jesus.
Sometimes written JEsus in biblical texts; cf. German JEsus.
Borrowed from Latin Iesus, in turn from Hebrew yeshua.
ji (pronoun)
1. 2nd person personal plural pronoun; ye, you all.
From Proto-Germanic *jīz, a Northwestern variant of *jūz. The reason for using the Northwestern variant is unclear. The only known cognates of the *jīz branch is Old Frisian jī and descendants.
Judo (noun, m.)
1. Judo (martial art).
From Japanese 柔道 (じゅうどう) (joudou).
Judoka (noun, m.)
1. Judoka (one who practises judo).
From Japanese 柔道 (じゅうどう家) (joudouka).
Jul (noun, n.)
1. Yule (the time around Christmas).
2. Yule (pagan holiday).
From Old Norse jól. Cognate of German and Danish Jul, Dutch joel, as well as Icelandic and Faroese jól.
Jura (noun f.)
1. Sea (large body of water), ocean.
2. (figuratively) A large amount of something.
From proto Balto-Slavic *jaura, though there are no known Slavic descendants of this word. Probably related to the high prevalence of Baltic-origin hydronyms in Konigsberg. Cognate with Latvian, Lithuanian and Samogitian jūra. Not related to the region in France.
kanja (irregular verb)
1. To know.
Inherited from Gothic kannjan, initially meaning "to make known", but eventually broadened into its current form.
Kannes (noun, m.)
1. Knowledge, intelligence.
From "kan", the root verb of kanja "to know", and the suffix -nes(s). Formed in a similar way to Dutch kennis.
Kauriþa (noun, f.)
1. A burden.
2. Oppression.
From kaurus and the now-unproductive suffix -iþa.
kauran (regular verb)
1. To be or give a burden.
2. To oppress.
From kaurus and the verb-forming suffix -an.
Kaurn (noun, n.)
1. Corn, grain, cereal.
Inherited from Gothic kaurn, in turn from Proto-Germanic *kaurna. Cognate of English corn, German/Old Norse Korn and descendants.
kaurus (adjective)
1. Burdensome.
2. Problematic; causing issues.
Inherited from Gothic kaurus. The term initially meant just sense 1, but acquired the secondary sense at some point in the 14th century.
Kavel (noun, m.)
1. The jaw (part of the lower face).
2. Jaw (of a vice and other tools).
From Old Saxon kafl, in turn from proto-Germanic *kafl. Cognate with Flemish kaval, English jowel.
Kåter (noun, m.)
1. A male cat or tomcat.
See its generic equivalent "Kått".
Kått (noun, f.)
1. A cat.
2. (specifically) A female housecat.
"Kått" is a generic term for a cat. The word "Kåter" refers to a male cat.
From Middle Low German "katte", in turn from Old Saxon "katta" and Proto-West Germanic *katta. Cognate of Plautdietsch "Kautt/Kaut".
kæse (noun, m.)
1. Cheese.
2. (regular verb) To make cheese.
From Old Norse kæsir, in turn from proto-Germanic *kasijaz, ultimately a Latin borrowing.
kiman (regular verb)
1. To come (move closer).
2. To arrive.
3. To appear, to manifest.
Inherited from Gothic qiman (the "q" was dropped and morphed into a K alongside most inherited Gothic words in the 8th century), in turn from Proto-Germanic *kwemaną.
Kinn (noun, f.)
1. Cheek (part of both the face and the rear).
Either an inheritance from Gothic kinnus or a borrowing from Old Norse kinn, both of which are derived from proto-Germanic *kinnuz.
kiusen (regular verb)
1. To choose, to select, to decide, etc.
2. To vote for, to elect.
Inherited from Gothic kiusan, which originally meant to prove or test but is now obsolete. Perhaps moved to its current sense under influence from archaic German kiesen and Dutch kiezen.
klucken (regular verb)
1. To cluck (of a hen).
2. To lap (of a wave).
3. To glug.
Onomatopoeic; cf. Swedish klucken, German glucken, English cluck.
Koälition (noun, f.)
1. Coalition (group or union formed for a particular advantage).
C. 16th century; borrowed from Middle French coalition, from Medieval Latin coalitiō, coalitiōnem, from Latin coalitus.
Komputer (noun, m.)
1. A computer (type of electronic device).
Uses -s plural. Borrowed from English computer, c. 1955.
komputeren (regular verb)
1. (informal) To use a computer.
From Komputer and the verb forming suffix -en; formed by analogy with Dutch computeren.
Konflikt (noun, m.)
1. Conflict.
From Latin conflictus, past participle of confligere ("to strike together"), from con- ("with, together") + fligere ("to strike").
Konstitution (noun, f.)
1. A constitution (founding principles of a nation).
C. 14th century borrowing from Old French constitucion, in turn from Latin constitutio.
Krig (noun, m.)
1. War, battle.
2. (hyperbolic) A dispute, quarrel.
Borrowed from Middle Low German krich. Perfect cognate with Danish, Swedish and Norwegian krig.
Krode (noun, f.)
1. A toad.
2. (derogatory, slightly dated) An ugly and/or contemptible person, usually a woman.
C. 14th century borrowing from Middle Low German krodde "toad", in turn from Old Saxon *kroda and Proto-West Germanic *krodu. Cognate of German Kröte, the obsolete Dutch krodde, and possibly Icelandic karta.
Kuning (noun, m.)
1. A king.
C. 8th century borrowing from Old High German kuning; in turn from Proto-Germanic *kuningaz. Displaced native Gothic þiudans.
Kuningdom (noun, m.)
1. A kingdom.
Compound of Kuning (king) and the suffix -dom, see the former for more.
Kuningbairg (noun, m.)
1. Konigsberg (country and city).
From Kuning (king) and bairg (dated spelling of berg, mountain); so called because the city was centered around a stone fortress on a hill. The English name is from a German calque of the word.
Kvist (noun, m.)
1. Destruction or devastation.
2. (n.) A twig.
3. (n.) A dormer (type of sloping roof).
For Sense 1, see kvistan. Senses 2 & 3 are from Old Norse kvistr; the gender may have been changed for disambiguation.
kvistan (regular verb)
1. To destroy.
2. (computing) To delete a file or code.
From Proto-Germanic kwistijana "to destroy totally". Cognate of Gothic qistjan and tangentially related to Dutch verkwisten "to waste".
Lag (noun, n.)
1. (computing, informal) Lag (delay).
Direct borrowing from English "lag", c. 1980s.
Land (noun, n.)
1. A country, a land.
2.(part of Earth that is not covered in water).
Inherited from Gothic land, in turn from proto-Germanic *landa. Perfect cognate of many Germanic languages.
Lauf (noun, m.)
1. Leaf.
2. (collective) Foliage, shrubbery, etc.
Inherited from Gothic laufs, in turn from Proto-Germanic *lauba. Cognate of Old Norse lauf and descendants, German Laub, English leaf.
Låg (noun, m.)
1. A leg.
2. (botany) A stem (part of a plant).
Sense 1 from Proto-Germanic *lagjaz, "leg, calf". Cognate of Old Norse leggr and descendants.
lid (noun, n.)
1. A lid, cover, etc.
Borrowed from Old Saxon hlid. Cognate with Frisian Lidd, German, English and uncommon Dutch lid.
Lieb (noun, n.)
1. A life.
By surface analysis, from the root of the verb "lieban". Probably not related to German "Liebe" (love).
lieban (regular verb)
1. To be alive, to exist.
2. To reside.
Inherited from Gothic liban "to live", in turn from Proto-Germanic *libjana, and then Proto-Indo-European *leyp-. Sense 2 probably obtained under North or West Germanic influence.
Lief (noun, f.)
1. A body.
2, (literary) A life.
From Middle Low German lîf, from Old Saxon līf, from Proto-West Germanic *līb. Cognate with Dutch lijf ("body"), English life, German Leib ("body"), Swedish liv ("waist, life").
Lippe (noun, f.)
1. Lip (two fleshy protusions framing the mouth).
2. Lip (of a container).
3> (informal) Cheek, sass.
From Middle Low German lippe, in turn from from Proto-West Germanic *lippjo. Perfect cognate with German Lippe.
Liste (noun, f.)
1. List (primarily political), catalogue.
C. 16th century borrowing from Italian lista, itself of Germanic origin. Cognate with German Liste, English list, Dutch lijst, etc.
Løg (noun, f.)
1. A law, statute.
From Old Norse løg, of the same meaning. Displaced native Gothic witoþ. Cognate of Icelandic lög, Faroese løg, Norwegian and Danish lov, etc.
Løger (noun, m.)
1. (informal) A lawyer.
From Løg and the suffix -er.
luban (regular verb)
1. To love.
From Lubo and the verb-forming suffix "-an". See the former's etymology for more.
Lubo (noun, f.)
1. Love.
Probably inherited from Gothic *lubō "to love", in turn from Proto-Germanic *lubō, and then Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ. Cognate with English love, Old Frisian luve, Old High German luba, German Liebe.
magan (regular verb)
1. To be able, may, can.
Inherited from Gothic magan, of the same meaning, in turn from Proto-Germanic *magana. Cognate of English may.
Makt (noun, f.)
1. Power, influence, authority.
2. Might, strength.
From Old Norse makt, probably derived from Middle Low German macht, ultimately from Proto-Grmanic *mahtiz.
Mann (noun, m.)
1. An adult human male.
2. Husband, male spouse.
Inherited from Gothic manna, in turn from proto-Germanic *mann, dropping the -a sometime in the 13th century due to influence from surroudning nations.
mannisk (adjective)
1. Human; of or pertaining to homo sapiens.
From mann and the suffix -isk.
Melnø (noun, m.)
1. A cloud.
Inherited from Gothic milhma, in turn from Proto-Germanic *melhmô. Influenced by Swedish "moln" (cloud), probably derived from the same Proto-Germanic word.
mene (regular verb)
1. To mean; to signify; to intend.
2. (formal, mostly literary) To think.
From Old Norse meina ("to mean, intend"), from Proto-Germanic *mainijana. Cognate with Old English maenan ("to mean"), German meinen.
midi (with dative) (preposition)
1. With (alongside, in the company of).
2. With, by (using as an instrument, by means of)
3. With, (as an accessory to)
2. With, (having).
From Old Saxon midi, an alternative form of "mid", of the same meaning. Cognate with English mid, Dutch met, Bavarian, Low and Standard German mit, but not related to French midi.
midjas (noun, n., adjective)
1. Middle.
2. Center.
3. (by extension) Politically centrist; moderate.
Inherited from Gothic midjis, in turn from proto-Germanic *midjaz. Related (though indirectly) to midi. Possibly a cognate of Albanian midis.
min (pronoun)
1. First person singular possessive pronoun; my, mine. Can also function as a determiner.
Inherited from Gothic meins, of the same meaning, in turn from proto-Germanic *mīnaz.
Ministre (noun, m.)
1. Minister (either religious or political).
Uses -s plural. Direct borrowing from French ministre; probably around the late 15th century.
Mist (noun, m.)
1. Mist; lighter fog.
From Proto-Germanic *mihstaz, of the same meaning. Cognate of English, Frisian, Dutch, Swedish, Low German, mist.
min (pronoun)
1. First person singular possessive pronoun; my, mine. Can also function as a determiner.
Inherited from Gothic meins, of the same meaning, in turn from proto-Germanic *mīnaz.
Moder (noun, f.)
1. A mother (maternal figure).
From proto-Germanic *mōdēr, cognate of many languages, though closest to formal Swedish and Danish moder.
Mousse (noun, f.)
1. Mousse (pudding).
2. Mousse (savoury seafood dish).
3. Mousse (type of styling cream).
C. 16th century borrowing from French mousse, in turn from Old French mosse "moss".
Munþ (noun, m.)
1. Mouth (the opening of an animal through which food is ingested).
Inherited from Gothic munþs, in turn from proto-Germanic *munþaz. Closest cognate is with Old Norse munnr and descendants.
Mus (noun, f.)
1. Mouse (animal).
2. (computing) Mouse (input device).
3. (noun, n.) Mush, puree, squish.
Either from Old Norse mús or Old Low German mūs, both meaning mouse. Cognate of English mouse, German Maus, Scandinavian mus, etc. Sense 2 is a semantic loan from English mouse, and Sense 3 is from Middle Low German môs, in turn from Proto-West Germanic mōs meaning wet food, mush, porridge.
Musik (noun, f.)
1. Music.
2. Music (school subject).
3. A musical piece (usually classical).
Borrowing from Latin musica; maybe filtered through Old High German musika.
Musiker (noun, n.)
1. A musician (male or undetermined).
See Musik.
Nacht (noun, f.)
1. Night.
2. (informal, interjection) Good night.
Time has a more specific denotation than it does in English; "night" refers to roughly 11pm to 6am.
Likely a borrowing from either Old Saxon "naht" or Middle Low German "nacht", in turn from Proto-Germanic *nahts.
Naße (noun, f.)
1. A nose.
Borrowed from Old High German nasa, in turn from Proto-Germanic *naso; cognate with Bavarian Nosn, German Nase, Pennsylvanian German Naas, etc.
Nåmo (noun, n.)
1. A name.
2. (informal) Reputation, fame.
Inherited from Gothic namō, in turn from Proto-Germanic *namō. Cognate of many languages, such as English name and German/Dutch Naam. Sense 2 might be related to the English phrase "make a name for yourself".
ne (interjection, adverb)
1. No.
2. (noun, n.) A nay vote or a no vote.
3. (interjection) An exclamation of dismay.
4. (adverb, informal) Never, at no time.
Initially "ne", a negation particle in Gothic. Cf. "ja". Sense 4 is a clipping of "netaim", also meaning never.
neder (adverb)
1 Down, downwards.
From proto-Germanic *niþer, likely influenced by German nieder or Swedish neder. Cognate with English nether.
neh (adverb)
1. Near, close to.
Inherited from Gothic nēƕ, in turn from Proto-Germanic *nēhw. Cognate of English nigh, Dutch na, German na(c)h, Icelandic na-.
netaim (adverb)
1. Never, at no time.
2. (interjection) Never; you shall not at any time.
Compound of "ne-" (in its obsolete form as a negation particle) and Taim (time).
Ninja (noun, m.)
1. A ninja.
Borrowing from Japanese 忍者 ninja.
nocht (pronoun)
1. Nothing, zero.
2. (adverb, emphatic, otherwise somewhat informal) Used to supplement the negation particle "ne"; wraps around the verb, e.g. Ik ne kan nocht. Similar to French ne ... pas.
Contraction from dialectal nokwat. The origin of the "ok" part is due to nonstandard pronunciation, and ultimately derives from older Konigsbergesk niwat, of the same meaning; effectively a compound of "ni" (no) and "wat" (what, thing). Similar in formation to English nought, Dutch niet, German nicht. Not related to Nacht.
Noir (noun, m)
1. Darkness.
2. (formal, adjective) A deep shade of black.
3. (film, TV) A film noir.
Uses -s plural. Direct 17th century borrowing of French "noir", which was inherited from Middle French noir, from Old French noir, neir, and from Latin nigrum. Sense 3 is a clipping from "film noir", as in English.
Nord (noun, n.)
1. North, northern, northerly, etc. (also functions as an adjective and adverb).
From proto-Germanic *nurþra, then *nurþaz. Cognate with English north, Danish, Norwegian, German nord.
Nordvest (noun, n.)
1. Northwest, northwestern, northwesterly, etc. (also functions as an adjective and adverb).
Compound of Nord and Vest.
null (numeral)
1. (cardinal) Zero.
2. (noun, f.) None, nothing.
3. (derogatory, noun, f.) Idiot, failure.
C. 16th century borrowing from Italian nulla, from Latin nulla, feminine singular of nullus ("no, none").
Nuß (noun, f.)
1. A nut.
From Old Norse hnot, in turn from Proto-Germanic *hnuts. Cognate of English nut, German Nuss, Dutch noot, Old Saxon hnut and descendants.
oft (adverb)
1. Often, ofttimes, frequently, etc.
From Old Norse oft, in turn from proto-Germanic *ufta. Displaced Gothic-origin ufta. Cognate with English oft(en), Faroese oft(a), German, Icelandic oft, etc.
Ødipus (noun, m.)
1. (Greek mythology) Oedipus.
Does not have a plural; lemmas ending in -s are uncommon in Konigsbergesk. From Ancient Greek, via Latin Oedipus.
Økonomïe (noun, m.)
1. An economy.
2. Economics (field of study).
3. One's financial circumstances.
Uses -s plural. From Latin oeconomia, in turn from Ancient Greek oikonomía.
Øuge (noun, n.)
1. An eye (part of the body).
2. An eye (part of a storm).
3. An eye (part of a needle).
4. A pip (dot on a dice).
Inherited from Gothic augo, in turn from Proto-Germanic *augo. Cognate with English eye, German Auge, Dutch oog, Danish øje, Norwegian øye, etc.
Øugebrun (noun, f.)
1. An eyebrow.
By surface analysis, from Øuge (eye) and Brun (brow). The same compound format is used in English eyebrow, Danish øjenbryn, German Augebraue, etc.
Øugelid (noun, n.)
1. An eyelid.
Compound of Øuge and lid (lid). Cognate with English eyelid, German Augelid, etc.
Pantoffel (noun, f.)
1. A slipper (type of footwear).
C. 15th century borrowing from Middle French pantoufle. Perfect cognate of Dutch and German pantoffel.
Partie (noun, f.)
1. A party (political and legal sense).
2. Lot, quantity, batch.
3. Someone (especially a man) who is considered to be a good choice for marriage, because of wealth, status, etc.; a parti.
C. 16th century borrowing rom French parti(e), likely merged in senses due to their similar appearance.
Pår (noun, n.)
1. A pair or couple.
From Latin par; related to French paire, English pair, peer, German and Dutch paar, etc.
Pim (noun, n.)
1. A pin.
Borrowed from English pin, c. 1910s.
plins (noun, f.)
1. A dance (of any kind, usually a generic term).
Deverbal of plinsjan. Cognate with Russian pljáska, Czech, Slovene and Serbo-Croatian ples.
plinsjan (regular verb)
1. To dance.
2. To shake violently and/or in an unruly manner.
Inherited from Gothic plinsjan, in turn a borrowing from proto-Slavic plęsati. Sense 2 might have been acquired from Middle Polish plęsać, which is also derived from the same proto-Slavic origin.
plukke (regular verb)
1. To pick (all English verb senses except to decide).
2. To pluck (pull at sharply).
3. To pluck (remove feathers, hairs, etc., by pulling them out).
4. (noun, n.) An instance of picking plucking.
From Old Norse plokka; perfect cognate with Danish and Norwegian plukke.
Poëme (noun, m.)
1. A poem.
Uses -s plural. C. 15th century, borrowed from French poëme, an archaic spelling of poème.
Præsident (noun, m.)
1. President, chairman, etc.
C. 14th century, from archaic French præsident, from Latin praesidens ("presiding over; president, leader").
Preis (noun, m.)
1. Price (cost of something).
Ultimately from Latin pretium (reward, price). Related to Prix.
Prix (noun, m.)
1. An award, prize.
2. Esteem, positive reputation.
Direct borrowing from French prix, c. 16th century. Sometimes spelled pris since "x" is not a native letter.
pupil (noun, f.)
1. Pupil (part of the eye).
Borrowing from Latin pupilla (little girl), so called due to the refelction in the pupil.
Radio (noun, n)
1. A radio.
Uses -s plural. C. 1920 borrowing from English radio, a shortening of radiotelegraphy. Has dozens of cognates.
rahjan (regular verb)
1. To count.
Inherited from Gothic "rahnjan", itself derivative of Proto East-Germanic rahnijana (unrelated to the Proto-West Germanic verb "to rob" and descendants). The word initially meant "to deliberate", but acquired a second meaning in Gothic, and later superseded all other forms in Konigsbergesk.
Rasn (noun, n)
1. A warehouse.
From Gothic razn, "house". Probably moved to its current definition due to being displaced by Old Norse-origin hus.
rett (adjective, adverb)
1. Right (direction).
2. Straight, proper, correct, true.
3. Right (in the sense of being righteous).
4.(adverb) Exactly, right.
5.(noun, m.) A right, privilege.
6.(noun, m.) A title, claim.
7.(noun, n.) The political right.
Borrowed from Old Norse réttr, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rehtaz. Perfect cognate of Nynorsk rett. Displaced Gothic raihts.
Respekt (noun, n)
1. Respect (high opinion of something/someone).
Borrowed from Old French respect, c. 14th century. Cf. English respect, German Respekt.
respektan (regular verb)
1. To respect.
From Respekt and the verb-forming suffix -an; see the former for more.
Rign (noun, n)
1. Rain.
2. (informal) Under the weather, irritable.
This is one of the few nouns in Konigsbergesk that do not have a plural form. Inherited from Gothic "rign". Cognate of Old Norse and derivatives "regn", Dutch/German "Regen", English "rain", etc.rignen (regular verb)
1. To rain.
2. (informal) To feel under the weather, irritable.
See Rign.sagan (regular verb)
1. To say.
2. To tell.
Uncertain; derived from proto-Germanic *sagjana, perhaps influenced by German sagen.
saþ (adjective)
1. Not hungry; full, sated.
2. (slightly informal) Having had enough, fed up.
3. (determiner) Plenty, an ample amount.
Inherited from Gothic satþs, meaning sense 1, in turn from Proto-Germanic *sadaz. Cognate of German satt, Dutch zat, English sad.
se (regular verb)
1. To see.
2. To look.
3. To see (in the sense of understanding).
4. To see (in the sense of imagining something).
Borrowed from Old Norse sjá, in turn from proto-Germanic *sehwana. Displaced Gothic-origin seihvan.
senda (regular verb)
1. To send.
Borrowed from Old Norse senda, in turn from proto-Gemanic *sandijana. Displaced native Gothic sandjan.
Sending (noun, f.)
1. Delivery, mail, etc.
2. A broadcast (of any kind, usually a program).
Gerund of senda; senda + -ing.
sin (pronoun)
1. 3rd person singular masculine possessive pronoun; his. Can also function as a determiner.
2. 3rd person singular possessive pronoun for someone of an unknown gender; one's. Can also function as a determiner.
From Old Norse "sinn", originally a reflexive possessive pronoun referring to any gender, in turn from proto-Germanic sīnaz. Sense 2 is likely from German influence, though it may be considered sexist in some circles (cf. "man" to refer to all of humanity in English).
singen (regular verb)
1. To sing.
2. To recite something (repeat aloud).
Borrowed from Old Saxon singan; displaced native Gothic siggvan, though its secondary meaning carried into singen.
sis (pronoun)
1. 3rd person singular neuter possessive pronoun; its. Can also function as a determiner.
Inherited from Gothic "sis", a dative form of the generic reflexive pronoun "seins". From there, it has the same etymology as sin.
siun (noun, f.)
1. Face (front part of the head).
2. Appearance, sight (of something).
3. Vision, perception.
Inherited from Gothic siuns, in turn from proto-Germanic *siuniz. Cognate of Danish and Swedish syn.
slepan (regular verb)
1. To sleep.
Inherited from Gothic slēpan, in turn from Proto-Germanic slēpana. Cognate of English sleep, German schlafen, etc.
sofn (noun, m.)
1. Sleep (state of reduced consciousness).
2. A temple (region of the skull).
Deverbal of sofna. Sense 2 is so called because one lies on a temple while sleeping; possibly a calque from either German Schlafe or Dutch slaap.
sofna (regular verb)
1. To fall asleep.
From Old Norse sofna ("to fall asleep"), related to Proto-Germanic *swanana ("to sleep"). Cognate with Icelandic and Faroese sofna.
Stemme (noun, f.)
1. A vote, a ballot.
2. A voice (sound uttered by the mouth).
3. (by extension) The ability to speak.
From Middle Low German stemme (voice), in turn from Old Saxon stemna, and proto-Germanic *stamnijo. Cognate with Platdeutsch Stemm, Danish stemme, etc.
stemmen (regular verb)
1. To vote for.
2. To adopt, pass (a law, motion or resolution).
3. To voice, express.
4. To tune.
Verbal of stemme; see there for more.
Stop (noun, m.)
1. The action of stopping; cessation.
2. A plug for a sink.
Root of "stoppen", see there for more.
stoppen (regular verb)
1. To stop.
2. To plug.
3. To stuff.
4. To darn (repair something via stitching).
C. 15th century borrowing from Middle Low German stoppen, in turn from Old Saxon stoppōn. Cognate of Dutch/Low German/German stoppen, English stop, Old Norse stoppa and descendants.
Straß (noun, f.)
1. A street.
Could be a borrowing from Old Saxon strata, in which case it would be from Proto-West Germanic *stratu. Displaced Gothic-origin gatwu. Cognate of Low German strate, English street, and German Straße.
Sunde (noun, f.)
1. Sin, criminal offence, trespass (in the archaic sense of a transgression).
Borrowed from Middle Low German sunde, c. 12th century, in turn from Proto-Germanic *sundi.
Skalli (noun, m.)
1. A skull.
2. (by extension) Baldness, someone who is bald; baldy.
Borrowed from Old Norse skalli, of the same meaning, from or related to proto-Germanic *skaljo (shell).
Skild (noun, m.)
1. A shield (armour).
2. (zoology) A shield, shell, carapace.
Inherited from Gothic skildus, in turn from Proto-Germanic *skilduz. Cognate of English shield, German/Dutch Schild, Old Norse skjoldur and descendants.
Skildkrode (noun, f.)
1. A turtle, tortoise.
Compound from Skild (shield) + Krode (toad), in the same vein as German Schildkröte, Dutch schildpad, Finnish kilpikonna, and others.
Skinn (noun, n.)
1. Skin (of a human).
2. Animal hide, pelt.
From Old Norse skinn, of the same meaning. Cognate with English skin, Swedish, Icelandic and Faroese skinn, Danish skind, etc.
Skip (noun, n.)
1. A ship, vessel.
Inherited from Gothic skip, in turn from Proto-Germanic *skipa. Cognate with English ship, Dutch schip, Old Norse skip, German Schiff.
skriva (regular verb)
1. To write, to type something on a computer or typewriter.
2. To author, to report, to publish, etc.
From Old Norse skrifa, from Proto-Germanic *skribana, a late borrowing from Latin scribo. As such, it is a cognate of many languages. However, it is a perfect cognate with Swedish and Faroese skriva.
skulstan (irregular verb)
1. Should; ought to.
2. (auxiliary) Used to form the future indicative. (e.g. Vi skulen kanja ef di is glad; we will know if she is happy). Does not have a direct equivalent in English, but similar to Swedish ska.
Inherited from Gothic skulda. Cognate of Swedish skulle, English should, and German sollte.
sumtaimar (adverb)
1. Sometimes (on occasion).
Compound of "sum" (some) and "taimar", plural of time. Similar formations exist in English sometimes, dialectal Dutch somtijden, German manchmal.
Sunþ (noun, n.)
1. West, western, westerly, etc. (also functions as an adjective and adverb).
From proto-Germanic *sunþra, possibly related to Old High German sunt.
Sunþaust (noun, n.)
1. Southeast, southeastern, southeasterly, etc. (also functions as an adjective and adverb).
Compound of Sunþ (south) and aust (east).
Sunþvest (noun, n.)
1. Southwest, southwestern, southwesterly, etc. (also functions as an adjective and adverb).
Compound of Sunþ (south) and vest (west).
svart (adjective)
1. The colour black.
2. (noun, n.) The colour black.
3. (noun, m.) Ink.
4. (figuratively) Illegal; not allowed.
5. Dark skin.
Inherited from Gothic swarts, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *swartaz. Cognate with English swarth, Dutch zwart, Low German s(ch)wart, etc. Sense 3 is a calque from Danish blæ, derived from Old English blæk, and displaced Gothic-origin svartisl.
svartan (regular verb)
1. To blacken something.
2. (informal) To tarnish the reputation of.
Probably inherited from Gothic *swartjan, though that word is unattested.
Svistar (noun, f.)
1. A sister (in both the familial and religious sense).
Inherited from Gothic swistar, in turn from proto-Germanic *swester. Cognate with most Germanic languages, but closest to Old High German swester and descendants.
sviltan (regular verb)
1. (formal) To die.
Usually reserved for an important person and a close relative or friend. Inherited from Gothic swiltan, in turn from Proto-Germanic *sweltana "to die, succumb". Cognate of Old Norse svelta "to starve" and descendants, mostly obsolete English swelt, and archaic Flemish zwelten.
Tand (noun, f.)
1. A tooth.
2. A prong.
Borrowed from Old Norse tonn, shifted under surrounding influence from Old High German zand, Swedish tand, etc. Displaced Gothic-origin tunþus.
Tandskinn (noun, n.)
1. Gums.
Compound of Tand (tooth) and Skinn (skin), possibly based on German Zahnfleisch (gums, a compound of tooth and flesh).
taujan (regular verb)
1. To decorate.
2. (dated) To make or manufacture something.
Inherited from Gothic taujan, meaning to do or make, in turn from proto-Germanic *tawjana. Cognate of Spanish/Portuguese/Galician ataviar, of the same meaning, through Gothic, as well as Dutch touwen and tooien.
Tee (noun, f.)
1. Tea (drink made by infusing leaves).
C. 16th century borrowing from Dutch thee, in turn from Hokkien (茶) te.
Tiuh (noun, m.)
1. The act of tempting, temptation.
2. The act of pulling.
C. 16th century; probably a typographical error based on the assumption that tiuhan had a root noun.
tiuhan (regular verb)
1. To lead away, to pull.
2. To tempt.
Inherited from Gothic tiuhan, of the same meaning, in turn from Proto-Germanic *teuhana.
Tunge (noun, f.)
1. The tongue.
2. Language, speech.
3. Tongue (flap of a shoe).
From Old Saxon tunga; in turn from proto-Germanic *tungo. Displaced Gothic tuggo.
tve (numeral)
1. (cardinal) Two.
2. (noun, m.) Two (as a digit or figure).
Inherited from Gothic twai, from Proto-Germanic *twai. Cognate of Old Norse tveir and descendants, German zwei, Dutch twee, English two, etc.
þar (adverb)
1. There, in that place.
Inherited from Gothic þar "there", in turn from Proto-Germanic *þar. Cognate of Old Norse þar and descendants, English there, German dar-, etc.
þat (conjunction)
1. That (introduces a clause).
2. (adverb) That, so.
3. (pronoun) 3rd person singular neuter pronoun; it.
3. (article) The, used for all neuter nouns except the genitive (þat Taim).
Senses 1 and 2 from Old Norse þat ("that" pronoun), ultimately derived from Proto-Germanic *sa.
þata (pronoun)
1. (demonstrative)That, used for all neuter nouns.
2. (demonstrative)This, used for all neuter nouns.
þauh (conjunction)
1. Though.
Inherited from Gothic þauh, "though". Cognate of Old Norse þÓ and descendants, English though.
þaurban (regular verb)
1. To need.
Alla du þaurb is lubo !
All you need is love!
2. To need to, to be required to, to have to.
Inherited from Gothic þaurban, of the same meaning, in turn from proto-Germanic *þurbana.
þei (pronoun)
1. 3rd person plural personal pronoun; they.
From Old Norse þeir, of the same meaning, whence also Icelandic þeir, Faroese teir, English they, Danish and standard Norwegian de, etc.
Þeiro (noun, f.)
1. Thunder (sound caused by lightning).
From Gothic þeiƕo, "thunder", of uncertain etymology.
þrei (numeral)
1. (cardinal) Three.
2. (noun, f.) Three (as a digit or figure).
Inherited from Gothic þreis, from Proto-Germanic *þiz. Cognate of Old Norse þrir and descendants, German drei, Dutch dre, English three, etc.
Þruma (noun, f.)
1. (poetic) A clap of thunder.
From Old Norse þruma, with the same meaning. Cognate of Icelandic þruma.
þu (pronoun)
1. (formal, slightly dated) Second-person singular personal pronoun; thou, you.
Inherited from Gothic þu. Since the early 20th century, largely superseded by "du"; using this version in non-formal contexts would be seen as odd.
ubil (adjective)
1. Evil, wicked.
2. (noun, n.) Wrongdoing.
Inherited from Gothic ubils, in turn from proto-Germanic *ubilaz. Cognate of English evil, Dutch euvel, German ubel, Luxembourgish iwwel, Low German ovel, etc.
uns (pronoun)
1. First person plural objective pronoun; us. Can also function as a determiner.
Inherited from Gothic uns, in turn from proto-Germanic *uns. Closest to Low and Standard German uns and Dutch ons.
unsar (pronoun)
1. First person plural possessive pronoun; our, ours. Can also function as a determiner.
Inherited from Gothic unsar, in turn from proto-Germanic *unseraz. Closest to Standard German unser and Cimbrian ünsar.
Vaurd (noun, n.)
1. A word.
Inherited from Gothic waurd, of the same meaning. In turn from Proto-Germanic *wurda.
van (preposition)
1. From (source or origin).
2. By, of (created by).
3. Of (belonging to).
4. Of (general association).
5. (mostly informal) Word for delayed filler; roughly analogous to English like, I mean, and you know.
C. 12th century, from Middle Low German van. Cognate with German von, Dutch van. "Van" is a common surname prefix, mostly denoting origin.
Vato (noun, n.)
1. Water (H2O).
2. A body of freshwater.
Inherited from Gothic wato, of the same meaning, in turn from Proto-Germanic *wator. Cognate with most Germanic languages
Vånd (noun, m.)
1. A wand, rod.
2. Wicker, wattle.
From Old Norse vondur, in turn from Proto-Germanic *wanduz. Cognate of English wand, Icelandic vondur, Norwegian vånd. Same etymology as Vond.
veer (numeral)
1. (cardinal) Four.
2. (noun, f.) Four (as a digit or figure).
C. 14th century borrowing from Middle Low German vêr, probably influenced Low Prussian veer. Displaced native Gothic-origin fidwur.
Vest (noun, n.)
1. West, western, westerly, etc. (also functions as an adjective and adverb).
From proto-Germanic *westraz, possibly influenced by Old Norse vestr. Cognate with most Germanic languages.
vi (pronoun)
1. 1st person plural subjective personal pronoun; we.
Probably from Old Saxon "wī", in turn from Proto-Germanic *wīz.
Vinkel (noun, m.)
1. A corner, right angle.
2. (more generally) An angle.
Borrowed from Middle Low German Winkel. Cognate of Dutch winkel (store), German, Danish, Swedish winkel (angle), Icelandic vinkill (corner).
Vind (noun, m.)
1. Wind (movement of air).
2. (adjective) Bent, crooked (in the sense of not being straight).
Inherited from Gothic winds, meaning sense 1, in turn from Proto-Germanic *windaz. Cognate of English/German wind.
vinstre (adjective, adverb)
1. Left (direction).
2. (informal) Sinister, evil.
Borrowed from Old Norse vinstr, in turn from proto-Germanic *winistraz. Displaced Gothic-origin hleiduma. Sense 2 is due to the association of left-handed people with the Devil.
Vløgel (noun, m.)
1. A wing.
2. Casement or sash of a window.
3. Grand piano.
From Old Saxon *flugil, of the same meaning. Cognate of Low German Flogel, Dutch vleugel, German Flugel.
Vond (noun, m.)
1. A mole (animal).
From Old Saxon *wand, in turn from Proto-Germanic *wanduz. Cognate of English wand, Icelandic vondur, Norwegian vånd. Same etymology as Vånd.
Vøde (noun, f.)
1. Food, nourishment, diet, etc.
2. (regular verb) To feed.
3. (regular verb) To rear (usually of an animal).
4. (obsolete) To give birth.
For the food senses, does not have a plural. From Old Norse foeða, the "v" having appeared under influence from Middle Low German vode. Displaced native Gothic fodeins.
vreid (adjective)
1. Angry, wroth.
From Old West Norse reiðr, in turn from Proto-Germanic *wraiþaz, cognate with Norwegian Nynorsk vreid, Swedish vred, English wroth, Dutch wreed.
vreida (regular verb)
1. To anger.
From vreid and the verb-forming suffix -a; see there fore more.
vreidnes (noun, n.)
1. The state of being angry; anger, angriness.
Compound of vreid and nes. See vreid.
Yen (noun, n.)
1. Yen, a Japanese monetary unit and coin.
Borrowed from Japanese 円 ("yen, circle")
"Bi" is highly irregular, drawing from multiple Proto-Germanic roots (*wesan, *biju). Like its relatives in other Germanic languages, it fuses forms from distinct verbs to express existence, identity, and condition.
"Kanja" is irregular in that the stem vowel changes in the present singular (ich kan, du kanst, der/di/þat kan) but remains regular in plural and subjunctive forms. The past tense is suppletive, formed with "kund-".
"Skulstan" is irregular because the present tense forms drop the infinitive suffix and use the stem "skal-/skul-". The past and subjunctive are formed with the mutated stem "skuld-". Its conjugation parallels Gothic "skulan", Old English "sceal/sculde", and German "sollen/sollte".
(1) For the word's first vowel, it triggers an umlaut in U, a slash in O, or an overring in A.
Konigsbergesk forms abstract and relational nouns with several common prefixes and suffixes, many inherited from Proto-Germanic. Below are some examples:
Forms words of any class negating, reversing or removing; de-, un-.
giban (to give) → angiban (to steal or take forcefully; literally "to ungive").
Borrowed from Old Saxon and-, a suffix for "against" or "without", ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *anda-.
Forms the regular plural of all native nouns. The suffix attaches to the stem, and may trigger vowel changes in inherited words. It is the most productive plural marker in Konigsbergesk.
Hund (dog) → Hundar (dogs)
Taim (time) → Taimar (times)
Cognate with Gothic -os (later levelled as -ans), Old Norse -ar, Old English -as. Serves as the default plural ending in the modern language.
An analogical plural ending used mainly for loanwords and proper names, especially from Romance and English. Less common than -ar but productive in newer vocabulary.
Adresse (address) → Adresses (addresses)
Film (film) → Films (films)
Borrowed under French and English influence; parallels the spread of -s plurals in many European languages.
Forms abstract nouns indicating a state or quality; -ness. A double S is used for feminine nouns, and a single S is used for masculine and neuter nouns.
kan (root of verb "to know") → Kannes (knowledge, intelligence)
Fru (woman) → Fruness (womanhood, femaleness)
Cognate with English -ness, German -nis, Gothic -inassus. The reason for the gender distinction is unclear.
Same function as -nes(s); unproductive in the modern day, exists primarily in feminine gender words inherited from Gothic. Equivalent to -th in English.
kaurus (adjective "burdensome") → Kauriþa (burden)
Inherited from Gothic -iþa.
Forms adjectives from nouns with the sense of pertaining to, characteristic of, as well as belonging to or of a nationality. Equivalent to -ish in English.
Mann (man) → mannisk (human, in the adjective sense)
Inherited from Gothic -isks. Cognate with German and Dutch -isch, Scandinavian -(i)sk.
Forms nouns indicating condition, office, or collective group; -ship.
Fru (woman) → Fruskep (sisterhood, fellowship of women)
Cognate with English -ship, German -schaft, Old Norse -skapr.
Forms nouns meaning domain, state, or jurisdiction; -dom.
Kuning (king) → Kuningdom (kingdom)
Cognate with English -dom, German -tum, Gothic -doms.
Forms agent nouns (a person who performs an action); -er, and native male professions. -(i)nna is used to denote feminine professions; the usage of the (i) depends on if there is a vowel at the end of the word being suffixed.
læran (to teach) → Lærer (male teacher)
læran (to teach) → Lærerinna (female teacher)
Parallel to English -er, German -er, Gothic -areis. -(i)nna is from Old Norse -inna and cognate with German -in.
Used to form gerunds and verbal nouns from verbs, as in English, Swedish, Norwegian and Icelandic -ing.
senda (to send) → Sending (delivery, mail, broadcast)
Borrowed from Old Norse -ing, ultimately from proto-Germanoc *ungo.
Forms nouns denoting manner, form, or likeness; -ly, -like.
Barn (child) → Barnleik (childhood, childishness)
Cognate with English -like (archaic noun use), German -lich, Gothic -leiks.
Forms nouns denoting a field of study, discourse, or body of knowledge. Used primarily in learned and academic vocabulary, often borrowed from Latin and Greek through Medieval or Renaissance contact. In Konigsbergesk, it is treated by the gender of the root word.
Politik (politics) → Politologie (political science)
Internationalism; borrowed from French -logie, in turn from Latin -logia.
Unlike Danish, Norwegian and German, adjectives in Konigsbergesk are not influenced by the gender of nouns. A standard me- prefix is used as a comparative (though sometimes the suffix -ere is used from West Germanic influence). Mæst is used as a superlative, though again, the suffix -est may be used.
The pronoun system follows East Germanic models with some West Germanic influence. Third-person forms overlap with the definite articles. Demonstratives often serve as both pronouns and adjectives. The subjective and objective personal pronouns have collapsed, except "vi" (we) and "uns" (us).
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