Nachtigall

German

Etymology

Inherited from Middle High German nahtegal, nahtegale, from Old High German nahtagala, from Proto-West Germanic *nahtigalā (literally “she who sings during the night”). Related to Nacht and gellen. Middle High German unstressed -eg- regularly yields modern -ig- (compare the suffix -ig and words like Bräutigam). Cognate with Dutch nachtegaal, English nightingale (which see for more).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈnaxtiɡal/, [ˈnaχ.ti.ɡal], [ˈnax-], [-tɪ-]
  • Audio (Germany (Berlin)):(file)

Noun

Nachtigall f (genitive Nachtigall, plural Nachtigallen)

  1. nightingale (bird)
    • 1797, August Wilhelm Schlegel, transl., Romeo und Julia‎[1], translation of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, [Act III, scene v]:
      Willst du schon gehn? Der Tag ist ja noch fern. / Es war die Nachtigall und nicht die Lerche, / Die eben jetzt dein banges Ohr durchdrang; / Sie singt des Nachts auf dem Granatbaum dort. / Glaub, Lieber, mir: es war die Nachtigall.
      Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day. / It was the nightingale, and not the lark, / That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear. / Nightly she sings on yond pomegranate tree. / Believe me, love, it was the nightingale.

Declension

Declension of Nachtigall [feminine]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative eine die Nachtigall die Nachtigallen
genitive einer der Nachtigall der Nachtigallen
dative einer der Nachtigall den Nachtigallen
accusative eine die Nachtigall die Nachtigallen

Derived terms

Descendants

  • → Saterland Frisian: Nachtigal

Further reading

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