Gardemaß
German
editEtymology
editFrom Garde (“guard”) + Maß (“measure, size”).
Pronunciation
editAudio: (file)
Noun
editGardemaß n (strong, genitive Gardemaßes, plural Gardemaße)
- (military, historical) the minimum height required for service in an elite “guard” regiment
- (by extension, informal) a required or preferred height in any context, tallness as such
Usage notes
edit- The Prussian Gardemaß is often claimed to have been 188 cm, but this applied only to the so-called Lange Kerls (“long fellows”), a particular representative regiment at Potsdam (dissolved in 1806). The general Gardemaß appears to have varied between 170 and 180 cm.