Sprit

See also: sprit, sprīt, and șpriț

German

Etymology

19th century, short for Spiritus, probably of dialectal origin, though some assume influence by French esprit. Ultimately from Latin spiritus (“spirit”). The original meaning is “brandy”, later extended to petrol, perhaps from the idea of a “potent liquid”. This sense is now predominant and also widely used in media parlance, such that contemporary speakers may actually think it the original one.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃpʁɪt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪt

Noun

Sprit m (strong, genitive Sprits, no plural)

1. (informal) petrol, gas (gasoline)

   Synonyms: Kraftstoff, Benzin

2. (slang or colloquial) brandy, spirits, or (loosely) booze, any alcoholic drink

Declension

Declension of Sprit [sg-only, masculine, strong]

	singular
	indef.	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Sprit
genitive	eines	des	Sprits
dative	einem	dem	Sprit
accusative	einen	den	Sprit

Derived terms

• Spritkopp
• Spritpreis

Further reading

• “Sprit” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache