Contents
- 1 German
- 1.1 Alternative forms
- 1.2 Etymology
- 1.3 Pronunciation
- 1.4 Noun
- 1.4.1 Usage notes
- 1.4.2 Declension
- 1.4.3 Synonyms
- 1.4.4 Antonyms
- 1.4.5 Derived terms
- 1.5 Further reading
German[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle High German magedichīn, meidichīn, from Old High German *magadihhīn or calqued from Middle Low German mēgedeken, megedekīn, both from Proto-West Germanic *magaþukīn. Equivalent to Magd + -chen.
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /ˈmɛːtçən/ (prescriptive standard; used naturally in western Germany and Switzerland)
- IPA(key): /ˈmeːtçən/ (overall more common; particularly northern and eastern regions)
audio (file) audio (file) - Rhymes: -ɛːtçən
Noun[edit]
Mädchenn (strong, genitive Mädchens, plural Mädchen)
Usage notes[edit]
- Since Mädchen is a grammatically neuter noun, all preceding articles, determiners, and adjectives take neuter forms: ein kleines Mädchen (“a little girl”). This rule is followed throughout all registers of German.
- There is more variation concerning pronouns referring back to Mädchen. These are usually neuter within the same sentence: Das Mädchen, das eben hier war, hat seine Tasche vergessen. – “The girl who was just here, forgot her purse.” (But feminine ihre would be acceptable in colloquial usage.) It is quite common, however, to use feminine pronouns in following sentences: Siehst du das Mädchen, das da steht? Kennst du die? – “Do you see the girl who [neuter] is standing there? Do you know her [feminine]?” (But neuter es would be acceptable in literary usage.)
- Mädchen is typically used to refer to young women up to the age of 30. Past this age it is uncommon (unlike English girl) – the related term Mädel is more widely used colloquially for adult women.
Declension[edit]
Declension of Mädchen [neuter, strong]
Synonyms[edit]
Antonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Further reading[edit]
- “Mädchen” in Duden online
- “Mädchen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- Friedrich Kluge (1883), “Mädchen”, in , John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891
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