See also: schlemihl

German

edit

Etymology

edit

19th century, from Yiddish שלימיל (shlimil). Further origin uncertain; see the Yiddish for more.

The rather odd spelling with -ih- follows the use of Adelbert von Chamisso in his well-known novella Peter Schlemihl (1813). Von Chamisso probably avoided Schlemiel because it could have suggested a trisyllabic pronunciation as in Gabriel (though he might have spelt *Schlemil).

Pronunciation

edit
  • IPA(key): /ˈʃleːmiːl/
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

edit

Schlemihl m (strong, genitive Schlemihls, plural Schlemihle)

  1. schlemiel

Declension

edit

See also

edit