Geißel

See also: Geissel

German

Alternative forms

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈɡaɪ̯səl/
  • Audio(file)

Etymology 1

From Middle High German geisel(e), from Old High German geisila (“whip”). Cognate with Dutch gesel. The spelling with -ß- reflects sporadic devoicing; compare the frequent pronunciations of niesen or Preiselbeere. Its use for distinguishing between Geißel and Geisel (“hostage”) is an arbitrary convention, which fully established itself only around 1900. (The two words are not related but became merged in Early Modern German.)

Noun

Geißel f (genitive Geißel, plural Geißeln)

  1. (Southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland) Synonym of Peitsche (“whip”)
  2. (elsewhere only) scourge (whip used for flagellation)
  3. (figurative) scourge (persistent source of harm, especially when seen as divine punishment)
    Synonyms: Plage, Heimsuchung
  4. (biology) flagellum
Declension
Declension of Geißel [feminine]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative eine die Geißel die Geißeln
genitive einer der Geißel der Geißeln
dative einer der Geißel den Geißeln
accusative eine die Geißel die Geißeln
Derived terms

Etymology 2

See the main lemma.

Noun

Geißel f (genitive Geißel, plural Geißeln) or
Geißel m (strong, genitive Geißels, plural Geißel)

  1. Obsolete form (now misspelling) of Geisel (“hostage”)

Further reading
  • “Geißel” in Duden online
  • “Geißel” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
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