i-Dötzchen

See also: I-Dötzchen

German

Alternative forms

I-Dötzchen

Etymology

Partial calque of Central Franconian i-Dötzje (“first-year pupil”), from the letter i, which was traditionally the first letter that school children learnt, and the noun Dotz (“little, often chubby, child”). This word’s original meaning is "knob, bump", it being probably cognate with Dutch dot, English dot. The word i-Dötzje might therefore alternatively be derived from i-Dotz meaning "dot of the i", as has been proposed; but neither is this latter sense in general use, nor does the derivation suggest itself semantically.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈiːˌdœts.çən/
Audio: (file)

Noun

i-Dötzchen n (strong, genitive i-Dötzchens, plural i-Dötzchen)

(informal, regional, chiefly Rhineland, but spreading Germany-wide) first-year pupil; child who has just started school; abecedarian
Synonyms: ABC-Schütze, Abc-Schütze, Abcschütze; (especially Central German) Erstklässer; (Austrian) Erstklassler; Erstklässler; (Rhenish) i-Dotz; (regional) i-Männchen; Schulanfänger; (Austrian, colloquial) Taferlklassler

Declension

Declension of i-Dötzchen [neuter, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	i-Dötzchen	die	i-Dötzchen
genitive	eines	des	i-Dötzchens	der	i-Dötzchen
dative	einem	dem	i-Dötzchen	den	i-Dötzchen
accusative	ein	das	i-Dötzchen	die	i-Dötzchen