German

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Etymology

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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

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  • IPA(key): /ɡəˈvalt/
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

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Gewalt f (genitive Gewalt, plural Gewalten)

  1. strong or violent force
    Naturgewaltforce of nature
    Schrauben mit Gewalt herausreißento 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.
  2. violence [with gegen (+ accusative) ‘against someone/something’]
    häusliche Gewaltdomestic violence
    Gewalt gegen Sachenviolence against inanimate objects
  3. physical control or power [with über (+ accusative) ‘over someone/something’]
    die Gewalt über die Geiselncontrol of the hostages
  4. (now restricted to specific contexts) authority; legally established control or power [with über (+ accusative) ‘over someone/something’]
    Staatsgewaltgovernmental authority
    Verfügungsgewalt über persönliches Eigentumfree disposal of one’s personal property (literally, “authority of disposal [...]”)

Declension

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Polish: gwałt (rape)
    • Belarusian: гвалт (hvalt)
    • Russian: гвалт (gvalt)
    • Ukrainian: ґвалт (gvalt)

Further reading

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  • Gewalt” in Duden online
  • Gewalt” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Pennsylvania German

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Etymology

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From Middle High German gewalt, from Old High German giwalt, from Proto-West Germanic *wald. Compare German Gewalt, Dutch geweld.

Noun

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Gewalt f

  1. power
  2. violence