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Ambiguous Compound Words

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Ambiguous Compound Words

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2

In German, different words can combine to form longer, more descriptive compound words. Are there any German compound words that have an ambiguous meaning?

A possibility I've thought of:

If "__" is a word (e.g. "Braut"), "sch__" is a word (e.g. "Schaufel"), and "ch__" is one as well (in this case "Chaufel"), __sch__(Brautschaufel) could be interpreted as "(__s)ch__" ((Brauts)chaufel) or "__(sch__)" (Braut(schaufel)).

I couldn't come up with any examples of this kind of word in German, though.

Any help is appreciated :)

meaning ambiguity

share|improve this question

asked 8 hours ago

anonymous_pigeonanonymous_pigeon

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• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Sorry, hard to understand what you are asking. Do you think you can rearrange your question, maybe with some table style? I guess that is not what you are looking for: german.stackexchange.com/questions/50005/… ?
  
  – Shegit Brahm
  8 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  This question is related, but no duplicate (because it's in German).
  
  – Arsak
  7 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

2

In German, different words can combine to form longer, more descriptive compound words. Are there any German compound words that have an ambiguous meaning?

A possibility I've thought of:

If "__" is a word (e.g. "Braut"), "sch__" is a word (e.g. "Schaufel"), and "ch__" is one as well (in this case "Chaufel"), __sch__(Brautschaufel) could be interpreted as "(__s)ch__" ((Brauts)chaufel) or "__(sch__)" (Braut(schaufel)).

I couldn't come up with any examples of this kind of word in German, though.

Any help is appreciated :)

meaning ambiguity

share|improve this question

asked 8 hours ago

anonymous_pigeonanonymous_pigeon

1622 bronze badges

New contributor

anonymous_pigeon is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Sorry, hard to understand what you are asking. Do you think you can rearrange your question, maybe with some table style? I guess that is not what you are looking for: german.stackexchange.com/questions/50005/… ?
  
  – Shegit Brahm
  8 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  This question is related, but no duplicate (because it's in German).
  
  – Arsak
  7 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

In German, different words can combine to form longer, more descriptive compound words. Are there any German compound words that have an ambiguous meaning?

A possibility I've thought of:

If "__" is a word (e.g. "Braut"), "sch__" is a word (e.g. "Schaufel"), and "ch__" is one as well (in this case "Chaufel"), __sch__(Brautschaufel) could be interpreted as "(__s)ch__" ((Brauts)chaufel) or "__(sch__)" (Braut(schaufel)).

I couldn't come up with any examples of this kind of word in German, though.

Any help is appreciated :)

meaning ambiguity

share|improve this question

asked 8 hours ago

anonymous_pigeonanonymous_pigeon

1622 bronze badges

New contributor

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share|improve this question

asked 8 hours ago

anonymous_pigeonanonymous_pigeon

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asked 8 hours ago

anonymous_pigeonanonymous_pigeon

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asked 8 hours ago

anonymous_pigeonanonymous_pigeon

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asked 8 hours ago

anonymous_pigeonanonymous_pigeon

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1 Answer
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5

Urinsekt

It's a shorter compound word and means prehistoric (Ur) insect (insekt). A German name for Apterygota.

However, Urin means urine and Sekt sparkling wine, so you could interpret it either

1. Ur-insekt (correct)


2. Urin-sekt (not so tasty)

And it even works if it's in plural

Urinsekten

since Sekten means cults or sects.

---

There are actually quite a lot such words (they are homographs) and I will list some more from Heinz Josef Weber's Homographen-Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (1996, google books, pp. 16-17):

• 
  Kurtage (broker's fee) / Kur-tage (days at a health resort)


• 
  Glieder-satz (compound sentence) / Glied-ersatz (limb replacement)


• 
  Stau-becken (reservoir, artificial lake) / Staub-ecken (dust corner)


• 
  Wach-stube (guardroom) / Wachs-tube (collapsible tube containing wax)

share|improve this answer

edited 5 hours ago

answered 7 hours ago

The Awful LanguageThe Awful Language

1,36944 silver badges2222 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  "Not so tasty"[1] citation needed
  
  – infinitezero
  7 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  A good reason why Maklerkurtage is so rarely used that Google will ask you: Did you mean "Maklercourtage"? The non-Germanized spelling is predominant.
  
  – Frank from Frankfurt
  4 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Blumentopferde and Klappfensterchen need to be added :-P ...
  
  – πάντα ῥεῖ
  4 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

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5

Urinsekt

It's a shorter compound word and means prehistoric (Ur) insect (insekt). A German name for Apterygota.

However, Urin means urine and Sekt sparkling wine, so you could interpret it either

1. Ur-insekt (correct)


2. Urin-sekt (not so tasty)

And it even works if it's in plural

Urinsekten

since Sekten means cults or sects.

---

There are actually quite a lot such words (they are homographs) and I will list some more from Heinz Josef Weber's Homographen-Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (1996, google books, pp. 16-17):

• 
  Kurtage (broker's fee) / Kur-tage (days at a health resort)


• 
  Glieder-satz (compound sentence) / Glied-ersatz (limb replacement)


• 
  Stau-becken (reservoir, artificial lake) / Staub-ecken (dust corner)


• 
  Wach-stube (guardroom) / Wachs-tube (collapsible tube containing wax)

share|improve this answer

edited 5 hours ago

answered 7 hours ago

The Awful LanguageThe Awful Language

1,36944 silver badges2222 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  "Not so tasty"[1] citation needed
  
  – infinitezero
  7 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  A good reason why Maklerkurtage is so rarely used that Google will ask you: Did you mean "Maklercourtage"? The non-Germanized spelling is predominant.
  
  – Frank from Frankfurt
  4 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Blumentopferde and Klappfensterchen need to be added :-P ...
  
  – πάντα ῥεῖ
  4 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

5

Urinsekt

It's a shorter compound word and means prehistoric (Ur) insect (insekt). A German name for Apterygota.

However, Urin means urine and Sekt sparkling wine, so you could interpret it either

1. Ur-insekt (correct)


2. Urin-sekt (not so tasty)

And it even works if it's in plural

Urinsekten

since Sekten means cults or sects.

---

There are actually quite a lot such words (they are homographs) and I will list some more from Heinz Josef Weber's Homographen-Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (1996, google books, pp. 16-17):

• 
  Kurtage (broker's fee) / Kur-tage (days at a health resort)


• 
  Glieder-satz (compound sentence) / Glied-ersatz (limb replacement)


• 
  Stau-becken (reservoir, artificial lake) / Staub-ecken (dust corner)


• 
  Wach-stube (guardroom) / Wachs-tube (collapsible tube containing wax)

share|improve this answer

edited 5 hours ago

answered 7 hours ago

The Awful LanguageThe Awful Language

1,36944 silver badges2222 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  3
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  "Not so tasty"[1] citation needed
  
  – infinitezero
  7 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  A good reason why Maklerkurtage is so rarely used that Google will ask you: Did you mean "Maklercourtage"? The non-Germanized spelling is predominant.
  
  – Frank from Frankfurt
  4 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Blumentopferde and Klappfensterchen need to be added :-P ...
  
  – πάντα ῥεῖ
  4 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

Urinsekt

It's a shorter compound word and means prehistoric (Ur) insect (insekt). A German name for Apterygota.

However, Urin means urine and Sekt sparkling wine, so you could interpret it either

1. Ur-insekt (correct)


2. Urin-sekt (not so tasty)

And it even works if it's in plural

Urinsekten

since Sekten means cults or sects.

---

There are actually quite a lot such words (they are homographs) and I will list some more from Heinz Josef Weber's Homographen-Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (1996, google books, pp. 16-17):

• 
  Kurtage (broker's fee) / Kur-tage (days at a health resort)


• 
  Glieder-satz (compound sentence) / Glied-ersatz (limb replacement)


• 
  Stau-becken (reservoir, artificial lake) / Staub-ecken (dust corner)


• 
  Wach-stube (guardroom) / Wachs-tube (collapsible tube containing wax)

share|improve this answer

edited 5 hours ago

answered 7 hours ago

The Awful LanguageThe Awful Language

1,36944 silver badges2222 bronze badges

share|improve this answer

edited 5 hours ago

answered 7 hours ago

The Awful LanguageThe Awful Language

1,36944 silver badges2222 bronze badges

answered 7 hours ago

The Awful LanguageThe Awful Language

1,36944 silver badges2222 bronze badges

answered 7 hours ago

The Awful LanguageThe Awful Language

1,36944 silver badges2222 bronze badges