Rad

See also: Appendix:Variations of "rad"

Central Franconian

Alternative forms

• Radd, Raad (optionally for the respective pronunciations)

Etymology

From Middle High German rat, from Old High German, from Proto-West Germanic *raþ, from Proto-Germanic *raþą.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʀat/, /ʀaːt/
• In Moselle Franconian mostly long. In Ripuarian both forms and often with a distinction: common case et Rad [ət ˈʀat] vs. dative dem Rad [dəm ˈʀaːt].

Noun

Rad n (plural Räder or Rader or Rädder or Radder, diminutive Rädche)

1. wheel
2. bike

Usage notes

• The vowel length of the plural does not necessarily agree with that of the singular. Depending on the dialect all combinations are possible.

German

Etymology 1

From Middle High German rat, from Old High German rad, from Proto-West Germanic *raþ, from Proto-Germanic *raþą, from Proto-Indo-European *Hret- (“to roll”).

Related to Swedish ratt (“steering wheel”) and Finnish ratti (“steering wheel”). Also related to English rotary and Spanish rueda (“wheel”), which descended from the same PIE root through Latin rota.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁaːt/ (prescriptive standard; especially southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland)
• IPA^(key): /ʁat/ (predominant in northern and parts of central Germany; but inflected forms with a long vowel)

• Audio (Austria):

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aːt, -at
• Homophone: Rat (according to prescriptive standard)

Noun

Rad n (strong, genitive Rades or Rads, plural Räder, diminutive Rädchen n)

1. wheel
2. (gymnastics) cartwheel
3. Clipping of Fahrrad; bicycle

Declension

Declension of Rad [neuter, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	Rad	die	Räder
genitive	eines	des	Rades, Rads	der	Räder
dative	einem	dem	Rad, Rade1	den	Rädern
accusative	ein	das	Rad	die	Räder

¹Now rare, see notes.

Derived terms

• Bergrad
• Einrad
• Essen auf Rädern
• Fahrrad
• Hamsterrad
• Hochrad
• Laufrad
• Rad fahren
• Radarm
• Radber
• radeln
• radfahren
• Radhaube
• radial
• Radkappe
• Radler
• Radscheibe
• radschlagen
• Radzahn
• Rennrad
• Spinnrad
• Steuerrad
• Stützrad

 

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English rad.

Noun

Rad n (strong, genitive Rads or Rad, plural Rads)

1. (physics) rad (non-SI unit of absorbed dose of radiation)

   Coordinate term: Gray

Declension

Declension of Rad [neuter, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	Rad	die	Rads
genitive	eines	des	Rads, Rad	der	Rads
dative	einem	dem	Rad	den	Rads
accusative	ein	das	Rad	die	Rads

Further reading

• “Rad” in Duden online
• “Rad” in Duden online
• “Rad” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Rad” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Rad” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.
• Friedrich Kluge (1883) “Rad”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From Middle High German rat, from Old High German rad, from Proto-West Germanic *raþ, from Proto-Germanic *raþą. Cognate with German Rad, Dutch rad.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /raːt/, [ʀaːt]
• Rhymes: -aːt
• Homophone: Rat

Noun

Rad n (plural Rieder, diminutive Riedchen)

1. wheel