Wetterfrosch

German

Etymology

From Wetter (“weather”) +‎ Frosch (“frog”). Some frogs climb up vegetation in warm weather, so it was erroneously believed that the same behaviour could also predict warmth.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɛtərˌfrɔʃ/, [ˈvɛ.tɐˌfʁɔʃ], [ˈʋ-]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Wetterfrosch m (strong, genitive Wetterfrosches or Wetterfroschs, plural Wetterfrösche)

1. A frog kept in a jar with a small ladder; when the frog climbed up the ladder, this was seen as an indication of warmer weather in the following days.
2. (figurative, humorous) A meterologist, weatherman.

Usage notes

• The custom was common until the first half of the 20th century and, though no longer practiced, is still generally known in the German-speaking world.

Declension

Declension of Wetterfrosch [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Wetterfrosch	die	Wetterfrösche
genitive	eines	des	Wetterfrosches, Wetterfroschs	der	Wetterfrösche
dative	einem	dem	Wetterfrosch, Wetterfrosche1	den	Wetterfröschen
accusative	einen	den	Wetterfrosch	die	Wetterfrösche

¹Now rare, see notes.