Leichnam

German

Etymology

From Middle High German līchname, from Old High German līhhinhamo, alternative form of līhhamo, from Proto-West Germanic *līkahamō.

Cognate with Dutch lichaam, Old English līchama (English likam (“corpse”)).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈlaɪ̯çˌnaːm/, /ˈlaɪ̯ç.nam/
  • Audio(file)

Noun

Leichnam m (strong, genitive Leichnams, plural Leichname)

  1. corpse (dead human body)
    Synonym: Leiche f

Usage notes
  • Leichnam and Leiche are widely interchangeable. However, Leichnam has a more respectful and venerating tone. It tends to be used especially in the context of funerals and graves, while Leiche tends to be used in the context of crime, war, medicine, etc.

Declension
Declension of Leichnam [masculine, strong]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein der Leichnam die Leichname
genitive eines des Leichnams der Leichname
dative einem dem Leichnam den Leichnamen
accusative einen den Leichnam die Leichname

Further reading
  • “Leichnam” in Duden online
  • “Leichnam” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.