Gewalt
German
Etymology
From Middle High German gewalt, from Old High German giwalt, from Proto-West Germanic *gawald, from Proto-Germanic *gawaldą, from *ga- + *waldą (“power, authority”). Cognate with Yiddish געוואַלד (gevald), Dutch geweld, English wald.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡəˈvalt/
Audio (file)
Noun
Gewalt f (genitive Gewalt, plural Gewalten)
- strong or violent force
- Naturgewalt ― force of nature
- Schrauben mit Gewalt herausreißen ― to rip out screws with force
- 1921, Elisabeth von Heyking, Die Trommel, in Weberin Schuld, G. Grote'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 13:
- Und dann war plötzlich ein rastloses Sehnen über sie gekommen, und mit unwiderstehlicher Gewalt hatte es sie aus der Ferne hierher zurückgezogen in das Haus, wo das Glück einst wohnte.
- And then she had suddenly been overcome by a restless longing, and with irresistible force she had been drawn back out of the distance here into the house where the happiness once lived.
- (with gegen) violence
- häusliche Gewalt ― domestic violence
- Gewalt gegen Sachen ― violence against inanimate objects
- (with über) physical control or power
- die Gewalt über die Geiseln ― control of the hostages
- (with über, now restricted to specific contexts) authority; legally established control or power
- Staatsgewalt ― governmental authority
- Verfügungsgewalt über persönliches Eigentum ― free disposal of one’s personal property (literally, “authority of disposal [...]”)
Declension
Derived terms
Related terms
Descendants
Pennsylvania German
Etymology
From Middle High German gewalt, from Old High German giwalt, from Proto-West Germanic *wald. Compare German Gewalt, Dutch geweld.
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