Klabautermann

See also: klabautermann

English

Etymology

Borrowed from German Klabautermann.

Noun

Klabautermann

1. a water sprite (or nix) who assists sailors and fishermen on the Baltic Sea in their duties

German

Etymology

Borrowed from German Low German [Term?]. Without doubt related, either originally or secondarily, to Dutch kabouter(man). Further etymology unsettled. Several roots seem to have influenced the word phonetically and semantically, it being difficult to determine the oldest form. Assumed influences include:

• Middle Dutch cobbout (“goblin”), cognate of German Kobold.
• Low German klatern, klattern, cognate of German klettern (“to climb”). Compare the attested Low German klâtermænneken n.
• The verbs kalfatern (“to caulk”) and klabastern (“to knock, to rumble”) (compare Low German klabastern).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /klaˈbaʊ̯tɐˌman/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

Klabautermann m (strong, genitive Klabautermannes or Klabautermanns, plural Klabautermänner, diminutive Klabautermännchen n)

1. (nautical) Klabautermann (a two-faced goblin believed to be both helpful and inauspicious to a ship's crew)

Declension

Declension of Klabautermann [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Klabautermann	die	Klabautermänner
genitive	eines	des	Klabautermannes, Klabautermanns	der	Klabautermänner
dative	einem	dem	Klabautermann, Klabautermanne1	den	Klabautermännern
accusative	einen	den	Klabautermann	die	Klabautermänner

¹Now rare, see notes.

Further reading

• “Klabautermann” in Duden online