Frauenzimmer

German

Etymology

From Middle High German vrouwenzimmer; Frau (“woman”) +‎ -en- +‎ Zimmer (“room”). Originally (in the 15th century) denoting a woman's room, then her things and (in the 16th century) her attendants, and then (in the 17th century) an individual woman, often one of low status, for which reason the term started to become derogatory.[1][2] Compare Danish fruentimmer and Swedish fruntimmer.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): [ˈfʁaʊ̯ənˌtsɪmɐ]
  • Audio(file)

Noun

Frauenzimmer n (strong, genitive Frauenzimmers, plural Frauenzimmer)

  1. (now chiefly historical, derogatory or humorous) lady, woman; (archaic) wench
    • 1924, Thomas Mann, Der Zauberberg [The Magic Mountain], volume 1, Berlin: S. Fischer, page 131:
      Natürlich, ein Frauenzimmer! dachte Hans Castorp, und wieder murmelte er es ausdrücklich vor sich hin, so daß die Lehrerin, Fräulein Engelhart, verstand, was er sagte. Die dürftige alte Jungfer lächelte gerührt. „Das ist Madame Chauchat“, sagte sie.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension
Declension of Frauenzimmer [neuter, strong]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein das Frauenzimmer die Frauenzimmer
genitive eines des Frauenzimmers der Frauenzimmer
dative einem dem Frauenzimmer den Frauenzimmern
accusative ein das Frauenzimmer die Frauenzimmer

References
  1. “Frauenzimmer” in Duden online
  2. DWDS

Further reading
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