German

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Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈvɛstbɛʁˌliːn/
  • Audio:(file)

Proper noun

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West-Berlin n (proper noun, genitive West-Berlins or (optionally with an article) West-Berlin)

  1. (historical) West Berlin (the American, British and French sectors of Berlin between 1949 and 1990)

Usage notes

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  • Westberlin means "western parts of Berlin" at any period, Westberlin or Berlin (West) has the historical and political meaning.
  • The spelling Westberlin with no hyphen was particularly common in East German usage, where East Berlin was generally called simply Berlin or by a description such as Berlin, Hauptstadt der DDR (literally Berlin, capital of the GDR). Berlin (West), on the other hand, was primarily used in West Germany.

Declension

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See also

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Further reading

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