German words from Latin
89 German words with Latin in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages.
Aktion
It is borrowed from Latin āctiō (“movement, action, deed; lawsuit, legal claim”), the abstract noun of agō (“to drive, do, act”), borrowed in the later 15th century. The legal sense “action at law…
aktiv
It is borrowed from Latin āctīvus (“active, practical”), formed from agō (“to drive, do, act”), past participle āctus. Until the 18th century it was mostly used as an adverb, after āctīvē; DFWB…
April
It is inherited from Middle High German aberelle, inherited from Old High German abrello, borrowed from Latin Aprīlis (“April”). The borrowing replaced the native Old High German ōstarmānōd (“Easter…
Artikel
It is inherited from Middle High German artikel, borrowed from Latin articulus (“small joint; section”), a diminutive of artus (“joint, limb”). Kluge and Pfeifer describe several borrowings of the…
Arzt
It is inherited from Middle High German arzât, inherited from Old High German arzāt, borrowed from Medieval Latin archiater (“chief physician”), borrowed in pre-literary times. Pfeifer gives the…
August
It is borrowed from Latin Augustus (“August”), the month named by the Romans in honour of the emperor Octavian, who bore the title Augustus, “the exalted”. The title is a derivative of an s-stem in…
Autor
It is borrowed from Latin auctor (“originator, founder, author”), also spelled autor in Latin, an agent noun of augeō (“to increase, promote”), borrowed in the 15th century. Literally the Latin word…
dauern
It is inherited from Middle High German dūren (also tūren), borrowed from Middle Low German dūren, from Latin dūrō (“to harden; to last, endure”), from dūrus (“hard”). The Latin verb was taken first…
Dezember
It is inherited from Middle High German december, borrowed from Latin December (“the tenth month”), short for mēnsis December. The Latin name is derived from decem (“ten”), but its formation is…
direkt
It is borrowed from Latin dīrēctus (“straightened, directed”), borrowed in the late 15th century, the past participle of dīrigō (“to set straight, direct”), from dis- and regō (“to guide, rule”)…
Diskussion
It is borrowed from Late Latin discussiō (“examination”), in Classical Latin “a shaking”, the action noun of discutiō (“to strike apart, shatter, (Late Latin) to examine, discuss”). That verb is…
Donnerstag
It is inherited from Middle High German donerstac, inherited from Old High German donarestag, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *Þunras dag (“day of the thunder god”), a loan translation from Latin…
evangelisch
It is inherited from Middle High German ēwangēlisch, inherited from Old High German evangēlisc, borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin euangelicus (“of the gospel”), from Ancient Greek εὐαγγελικός…
Familie
It is borrowed from Latin familia (“the household servants; the whole household”), a collective noun formed to famulus (“servant”). Pfeifer dates the borrowing to the early 15th century; it spread…
Februar
It is borrowed from Latin Februārius (“month of purification”), short for mēnsis Februārius, taken into German in the 15th century. The Latin adjective belongs to februō (“to purify”) and februum…
feiern
It is inherited from Middle High German vīren, inherited from Old High German fīrōn, a verb formed from the noun fīra (“feast, rest”), now Feier. That noun is borrowed from Late Latin fēria (“feast…
Form
It is inherited from Middle High German forme, borrowed from Latin fōrma (“shape, figure, appearance”), borrowed in the 13th century. The revised Grimm dictionary takes the Upper German masculine…
Freitag
It is inherited from Middle High German vrītac, inherited from Old High German frīatag, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *Frījā dag (“day of Frija”). Like the other names of weekdays it is a loan…
historisch
It is borrowed from Latin historicus (“historical”), borrowed in the early 16th century, from Ancient Greek ἱστορικός (historikós, “historical; a historian”), derived from ἱστορία (historía…
Idee
It is borrowed from Latin idea (“idea, archetype”), used in German in its Latin form from the early 16th century; the present form arose in the 17th century under the influence of French idée. The…
Information
It is borrowed from Latin īnfōrmātiō (“formation; instruction”), a noun from īnfōrmō (“to shape; to instruct”), from in- and fōrmō (“to shape, form”), from fōrma (“shape, form”). The verb…
informieren
It is borrowed from Latin īnfōrmō (“to shape, form; to instruct”), from in- and fōrmō (“to form, shape”), from fōrma (“form, shape”) (see Form), borrowed in the 14th century. German took the Latin…
Institut
It is borrowed from Latin īnstitūtum (“arrangement, institution”), the noun use of the past participle of īnstituō (“to set up, establish, arrange”), from in- and statuō (“to set up, erect”). It is…
Interesse
It is borrowed from Medieval Latin interesse (“loss arising from a liability to compensate; interest”), a legal term of Medieval Latin, recorded from the 13th century. It is the infinitive of Latin…
Jahrhundert
It is a compound from German Jahr (“year”) + hundert (“hundred”), formed in the 17th century as a loan translation from Latin saeculum (“age, century”). Before it, Rompler had tried a native coinage…
Januar
It is a learned borrowing, borrowed from Latin Iānuārius (“of Janus”), short for mēnsis Iānuārius (“the month of Janus”). The Latin name is usually connected with that of the old Italic god Iānus…
Juli
It is borrowed from Latin Iūlius (“July”), short for mēnsis Iūlius, the month named after Gaius Julius Caesar, who reformed the calendar. The German form comes from the Latin genitive Iūliī, used in…
Juni
It is borrowed from Latin Iūnius (“(month) of Juno”), the name of the Roman month consecrated to the goddess Iūnō (“Juno”), queen of the gods and wife of Jupiter. The modern form developed from the…
Kampf
It is inherited from Middle High German kampf, inherited from Old High German kampf (“single combat, duel”), borrowed from Latin campus (“field, battlefield”). Pfeifer and the EWA date the borrowing…
katholisch
It is borrowed from Late Latin catholicus (“universal; orthodox”), borrowed in the 16th century, though the Latin word already appears in Old High German texts of the 8th century. The Latin…
Klasse
It is borrowed from Latin classis (“division; class of pupils; army, fleet”), borrowed in the 16th century. Kluge takes the Latin word to have meant first “a calling together”, then the crowd called…
Kollege
It is borrowed from Latin collēga (“colleague in office”), borrowed in the 16th century. The Latin word is made of con- (“with”) and a word for law or delegation, in a way Kluge calls…
Kontakt
It is borrowed from Latin contāctus (“touch, contact”), the noun of Latin contingō (“to touch”), a compound of Latin con- (“with, together”) and Latin tangō (“to touch”). Pfeifer calls it a learned…
Konzept
It is borrowed from Latin conceptum (“something conceived”), borrowed in the 16th century; Pfeifer adds the influence of conceptus (“a taking in; thought, purpose”), since the German word first also…
Kopf
It is inherited from Middle High German kopf (“drinking vessel, skull, head”), inherited from Old High German kopf (“cup, bowl”), which Kluge, Pfeifer and the Duden dictionary take as an early loan…
Kosten
It is the plural form, inherited from Middle High German koste (“value, price, expense”), inherited from Old High German kosta (“value”), borrowed from Medieval Latin costa (“expense”). Medieval…
Kultur
It is borrowed from Latin cultūra (“tilling, cultivation; care, training of the mind”), from colō (“to till, tend, cultivate”), borrowed in the 17th century. Paul also names French culture as a…
Kurs
It is borrowed from Latin cursus (“running, course, journey, circulation”), borrowed several times, by different routes. The earliest form, Old High German curs (about 800), and Middle High German…
kurz
It is inherited from Middle High German kurz, inherited from Old High German kurz, borrowed from Latin curtus (“shortened, docked, mutilated”), borrowed before the High German consonant shift, so…
Linie
It is inherited from Middle High German linie, borrowed from Latin līnea (“linen thread, string; line”), the noun use of the feminine of līneus (“of flax, linen”), from līnum (“flax; thread”). In…
Literatur
It is borrowed from Latin litterātūra (“writing in letters; grammar, philology”), a learned borrowing of the 16th century. In Late Latin the word also meant “written works”. It is formed from…
Mai
It is inherited from Middle High German meie, inherited from Old High German meio, borrowed from Latin Māius (“May”), short for mēnsis Māius (“the month of May”). Kluge and the EWA explain the Latin…
Markt
It is inherited from Middle High German market, inherited from Old High German markāt, borrowed from Late Latin marcātus, a variant of Latin mercātus (“trade, purchase, market”), a noun from mercor…
März
It is inherited from Middle High German merze, inherited from Old High German merzo, borrowed from Latin Mārtius (“(month) of Mars”), the month dedicated to the war god Mārs, which was the first…
Medium
It is borrowed from Latin medium (“the middle; a means”), the neuter of the adjective medius (“in the middle, middle”) used as a noun, borrowed in the 17th century. The Latin adjective is cognate…
Minute
It was borrowed in the 15th century, borrowed from Medieval Latin minūta (“sixtieth of an hour”), the feminine of Latin minūtus (“made smaller, very small”), the past participle of minuō (“to make…
Mittwoch
It is inherited from Middle High German mittewoche, inherited from Old High German mittawehha, a compound from Old High German mitti (“middle”) + wehha (“week”), that is “the middle of the week”. It…
Montag
It is inherited from Middle High German mōntac, inherited from Old High German mānetag, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *Mānini dag (“day of the moon”), a loan translation from Latin diēs Lūnae…
Museum
It is borrowed from Latin mūsēum (“place for learned pursuits; library, academy”), from Ancient Greek μουσεῖον (mouseîon, “seat or shrine of the Muses”), a noun formed beside the adjective μούσειος…
Musik
It is inherited from Middle High German mūsic, borrowed from Latin mūsica (“music”), in full ars mūsica, from Ancient Greek μουσική (mousikḗ), short for μουσικὴ τέχνη (mousikḕ tékhnē, “art of the…
musikalisch
It is borrowed from Medieval Latin musicālis, borrowed at the beginning of the 16th century. The Medieval Latin adjective belongs to Latin mūsica (“music”), from Ancient Greek μουσική (mousikḗ)…
national
It is borrowed from New Latin nātiōnālis, with the influence of French national, which gave it its political sense in the second half of the 18th century. The Duden dictionary and the Grimms take it…
Natur
It is inherited from Middle High German natūre, inherited from Old High German natūra, borrowed from Latin nātūra (“birth; nature, character”), from nātus (“born”), the past participle of nāscor…
November
It is inherited from Middle High German november, borrowed from Latin November, the Roman name of the month, a derivative of novem (“nine”). It was so called as the ninth month of the old Roman…
Oktober
It is inherited from Middle High German octōber, borrowed from Latin Octōber, from octō (“eight”): it was the eighth month of the old Roman year, which began in March, and kept its name after the…
per
It is late inherited from Middle High German per, borrowed from Latin per (“through, by means of”). It came in through the language of merchants in the 15th century, under the influence of the same…
Person
It is inherited from Middle High German persōne, borrowed from Latin persōna (“mask of an actor; role, character; person”). Kluge dates the loan to the 12th century, the Duden to the 13th. The same…
Politiker
It is borrowed from Medieval Latin politicus (“statesman”), a noun use of the Latin adjective polīticus (“of the state, political”), from Ancient Greek πολιτικός (polītikós, “of citizens, of the…
Polizei
It is borrowed from Medieval Latin policia (“state administration”), from Late Latin polītīa, from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía, “citizenship, administration, constitution”), from πολίτης…
Position
It is borrowed from Latin positiō (“a placing; position”), borrowed in the 16th century, the noun of action of pōnō (“to put, place, lay”), past participle positus. Duden and the DFWB think that…