Kran

See also: kran

German

Etymology

From Middle High German krane, from Old High German krano (“crane”), from Proto-West Germanic *kranō, from Proto-Germanic *kranô (“crane”).

Sense 1

Sense 2

The word was used metaphorically for the lifting device due to the similar appearance of the bird’s neck and head. This metaphorical use is first attested in Middle Dutch krane, and thence spread to several European languages (compare English crane, French grue). The sense “water tap” is restricted to a smaller territory (compare Dutch kraan, Luxembourgish Krunn).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkʁaːn/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aːn

Noun

Kran m (strong, genitive Kranes or Krans, plural Kräne or Krane)

1. crane (a lifting device)

   Bei Sturm darf ein Kran nicht umfallen. ― A crane must not fall over in the event of a storm.

2. (regional, western Germany) tap, faucet

   Synonyms: Hahn, Wasserhahn, Pipe

   Der Kran in der Küche tropft. ― The tap in the kitchen is dripping.

Declension

Declension of Kran [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Kran	die	Kräne, Krane
genitive	eines	des	Kranes, Krans	der	Kräne, Krane
dative	einem	dem	Kran, Krane1	den	Kränen, Kranen
accusative	einen	den	Kran	die	Kräne, Krane

¹Now rare, see notes.

Derived terms

• Kraneberger

Related terms

• Kranich (bird)
• Wasserkran

Descendants

• → Crimean Tatar: kran
• → Luxembourgish: Kran
• → Polish: kran
• → Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic script: кран

  Latin script: kran

• → Russian: кран (kran)
• → Ukrainian: кран (kran)

Further reading

• “Kran” in Duden online
• “Kran” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From German Kran. The originally Luxembourgish cognate is Krunn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʀaːn/

Noun

Kran m (plural Kranen)

1. crane (lifting machine)