echt
English edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from German echt (“real”). The German term originates from Middle Low German echt (“lawful, genuine”), contraction of ehacht, variant form of ehaft (“lawful, pertaining to the law”) from ê(e) (“law, marriage”). First use in English appears c. 1916.
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
echt (comparative more echt, superlative most echt)
- Proper, real, genuine, true to type.
- 1980, Anthony Burgess, Earthly Powers, Penguin, page 8:
- I had heard [the phrase] in Lamb House, Rye, but it was less echt Henry James than Henry James mocking echt Meredith.
- 2002 March 27, Buck Turgidson, “Heebetudinous”, in alt.california[1] (Usenet):
- And yes, that's what it's about. Some punk writing about sleeping with Ginsberg, despite their fifty-year age difference and homogenous sexuality. What's echt heebish? There's your answer. A hack fag poet and the power to plant him on playlists nationwide.
- 2009 January 18, Ross Douthat, “When Buckley Met Reagan”, in New York Times[2]:
- An echt Burkean with a snob’s disdain for the contemporary Republican Party, Hart hinted at a road not taken […] .
Translations edit
genuine
Anagrams edit
Czech edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from German echt, from Middle High German echt, from Middle Low German echt.
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
echt (indeclinable)
- (colloquial) echt, genuine, pure, unadulterated
- Synonyms: nefalšovaný, opravdový, ryzí
Derived terms edit
adjective
Related terms edit
adverb
Further reading edit
Dutch edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
From Middle Dutch echt, from Old Dutch *ēhaft, from Proto-West Germanic *aiwahaft.
Adjective edit
echt (comparative echter, superlative echtst)
- authentic, true, genuine, real
- Synonyms: waar, heus
- Antonyms: onecht, nep, vals
- Dit is een echt kunstwerk, geen kopie.
- This is an authentic artwork, not a copy.
- Hij heeft een echte diamant gekocht.
- He bought a genuine diamond.
- Ze speelt de rol van een echte prinses in het toneelstuk.
- She plays the role of a real princess in the play.
- Het tweede schilderij is echter dan het eerste.
- The second painting is more authentic than the first.
- Zijn argumenten zijn echter dan die van haar.
- His arguments are truer than hers.
- Dit is het echtste verhaal dat ik ooit heb gehoord.
- This is the most authentic story I have ever heard.
- Hij heeft de echtste glimlach.
- He has the truest smile.
Inflection edit
| Inflection of echt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| uninflected | echt | |||
| inflected | echte | |||
| comparative | echter | |||
| positive | comparative | superlative | ||
| predicative/adverbial | echt | echter | het echtst het echtste | |
| indefinite | m./f. sing. | echte | echtere | echtste |
| n. sing. | echt | echter | echtste | |
| plural | echte | echtere | echtste | |
| definite | echte | echtere | echtste | |
| partitive | echts | echters | — | |
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
Etymology 2 edit
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Noun edit
echt m (uncountable)
- The institution marriage, matrimony.
- Synonym: huwelijk
- Hij gelooft sterk in het belang van echt en gezin.
- He strongly believes in the importance of marriage and family.
- In sommige culturen is echt nog steeds een heilige verbintenis.
- In some cultures, matrimony is still considered a sacred bond.
- Ze heeft haar hele leven toegewijd aan het verdedigen van het concept van echt als hoeksteen van de samenleving.
- She has dedicated her entire life to defending the concept of marriage as the cornerstone of society.
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
German edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Middle High German echt, borrowed from Middle Low German echt (“lawful, genuine”). The original form is Middle Low German ēhaft (“lawful”), from ē (“law”) (related to modern Ehe); then ēhacht by the Low German development -ft- → -cht- (compare Nichte); and eventually contracted into echt. Cognate to Old High German ēhaft (“honourable”) and Dutch echt.
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
echt (strong nominative masculine singular echter, comparative echter, superlative am echtesten)
- authentic, genuine, true
- Die Jacke ist aus echtem Leder.
- The jacket is made of genuine leather.
- 1994, “Es möchte echt sein”, in In Echt, performed by Die Sterne:
- Hallo Lexikon, erklär mir wie das funktioniert / Es möchte echt sein / Echt
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- (chiefly colloquial) real; factual
- Synonyms: wirklich, tatsächlich
- Der Film ist nah an der echten Geschichte.
- The film is close to the real story.
- (mathematics) proper
- echte Teilmenge ― proper subset
Declension edit
Positive forms of echt
| number & gender | singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |||
| predicative | er ist echt | sie ist echt | es ist echt | sie sind echt | |
| strong declension (without article) |
nominative | echter | echte | echtes | echte |
| genitive | echten | echter | echten | echter | |
| dative | echtem | echter | echtem | echten | |
| accusative | echten | echte | echtes | echte | |
| weak declension (with definite article) |
nominative | der echte | die echte | das echte | die echten |
| genitive | des echten | der echten | des echten | der echten | |
| dative | dem echten | der echten | dem echten | den echten | |
| accusative | den echten | die echte | das echte | die echten | |
| mixed declension (with indefinite article) |
nominative | ein echter | eine echte | ein echtes | (keine) echten |
| genitive | eines echten | einer echten | eines echten | (keiner) echten | |
| dative | einem echten | einer echten | einem echten | (keinen) echten | |
| accusative | einen echten | eine echte | ein echtes | (keine) echten | |
Comparative forms of echt
| number & gender | singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |||
| predicative | er ist echter | sie ist echter | es ist echter | sie sind echter | |
| strong declension (without article) |
nominative | echterer | echtere | echteres | echtere |
| genitive | echteren | echterer | echteren | echterer | |
| dative | echterem | echterer | echterem | echteren | |
| accusative | echteren | echtere | echteres | echtere | |
| weak declension (with definite article) |
nominative | der echtere | die echtere | das echtere | die echteren |
| genitive | des echteren | der echteren | des echteren | der echteren | |
| dative | dem echteren | der echteren | dem echteren | den echteren | |
| accusative | den echteren | die echtere | das echtere | die echteren | |
| mixed declension (with indefinite article) |
nominative | ein echterer | eine echtere | ein echteres | (keine) echteren |
| genitive | eines echteren | einer echteren | eines echteren | (keiner) echteren | |
| dative | einem echteren | einer echteren | einem echteren | (keinen) echteren | |
| accusative | einen echteren | eine echtere | ein echteres | (keine) echteren | |
Superlative forms of echt
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
- → English: echt
Adverb edit
echt
- (chiefly colloquial) really; indeed
- Synonym: wirklich
- Das war echt gut. ― That was really good.
Interjection edit
echt
- expresses disbelief or shock at new information
- Synonym: wirklich
- "Ich lebe erst seit 2 Jahren in Deutschland." "Echt? Du sprichst sehr gut Deutsch." ― "I've only been living in Germany for 2 years." "Really? Your German is very good."
Further reading edit
Kashubian edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
echt (indeclinable)
Further reading edit
- “echt”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022
Scots edit
Verb edit
echt
- Alternative form of aicht (“to own”)
References edit
- “echt, v.tr.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.