munkeln
German edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Middle Low German munkelen (“to speak in private”). Further origin unknown, possibly onomatopoetic.
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
munkeln (weak, third-person singular present munkelt, past tense munkelte, past participle gemunkelt, auxiliary haben)
- (chiefly impersonal) to rumour/rumor
- Man munkelt, dass...
- One rumored that...
- Es wird gemunkelt, dass...
- Rumour has it that...
- (rather rare) to whisper; to mutter; to speak in private
- Im Dunkeln ist gut munkeln.
- The night is the right [time] to whisper in private. (A common saying, most often used in romantic contexts.)
Conjugation edit
infinitive | munkeln | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
present participle | munkelnd | ||||
past participle | gemunkelt | ||||
auxiliary | haben | ||||
indicative | subjunctive | ||||
singular | plural | singular | plural | ||
present | ich munkle ich munkele ich munkel |
wir munkeln | i | ich munkele ich munkle |
wir munkeln |
du munkelst | ihr munkelt | du munkelest du munklest |
ihr munkelet ihr munklet | ||
er munkelt | sie munkeln | er munkele er munkle |
sie munkeln | ||
preterite | ich munkelte | wir munkelten | ii | ich munkelte1 | wir munkelten1 |
du munkeltest | ihr munkeltet | du munkeltest1 | ihr munkeltet1 | ||
er munkelte | sie munkelten | er munkelte1 | sie munkelten1 | ||
imperative | munkle (du) munkel (du) munkele (du) |
munkelt (ihr) |
1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.
Further reading edit
- “munkeln” in Duden online
- “munkeln” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- Friedrich Kluge (1883) “munkeln”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891