Glossary of Old German Words

These are words that do not appear in most modern German-English dictionaries or that have different meanings today. I established this glossary for my own use, to keep track of information I had to dig for. If you landed on this page in search of a word not listed, please contact me at translate@asherwin.com. If I don't know the meaning, I'll research it for you (a limited free service). Additions and corrections are also welcome.

Key to Sources

(A) "Alte Münzen, Masse und Gewichte" in: Geschichte von Münster a.N. by Ludwig Vogelmann, Heimatausschuß Stuttgart-Münster, 1965.

(C) Cassel's New German and English Dictionary, Funk & Wagnalls Company, New York and London, 1906 (C1968 refers to the 1968 edition of the same work)

(D) Duden, Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, Dudenverlag, Bibliographisches Institut Mannheim, Wien, Zürich, 1979

(FW) Familienkundliches Wörterbuch, by Fritz Verdenhalven, Verlag Degener & Co., Neustadt an der Aisch, 1969

(H) Heath's New German Dictionary, by Elizabeth Weir; D.C. Heath & Co., Publishers, Boston, New York, and Chicago, 1888

(HW) Hilfswörterbuch für Historiker by Eugen Haberkern and Joseph Friedrich Wallach, Francke Verlag, Tübingen, 6th edition, 1980 (definitions greatly abridged; for detailed explanations, I highly recommend this work if you read German)

(M) Meyers Großes Konversationslexikon, Leipzig and Vienna 1903, Vol. 3, pp. 620--621 (see link at Bürger)

(T) Taschenbuch für Familiengeschichtsforshung, by Wolfgang Ribbe and Eckart Henning, Verlag Degener & Co., Neustadt an der Aisch, 1980

If no source is given, I may have inferred the meaning from context, found it explained in an unidentified German source (e.g. photocopy from client), or simply neglected to record the source.

A

Aigenveldt

see Eigenfeld

Allmande

see Allmende

Allmende

commons, common land of a community, also called Losacker (HW)

Allod(ium)

small hereditary proprietorship (HW)

Anwand

place where the farmer turned around when plowing; gradually it developed into a strip of land between two fields, which was often leased separately or turned over to a concern such as a school (HW)

Arrha

symbolic counterpayment to the consideration in a contract, which made the contract legally binding; used mainly with marriage contracts and property transfers, also called Weinkauf (wine purchase), Bierkauf (beer purchase), Imbiß (snack) etc., when it took the form of food or drink consumed communally by the contracting parties and witnesses after the signing (HW)

Ausbürger

see Pfahlbürger

Ausgedinger(in)

see Leibzüchter(in)

B

Bärker, Berker

tanner (FW)

Bauerschaft

cluster of farms, agricultural village (HW)

befreundet

akin, related (H)

Beisasse

see Schutzverwandter

Beisitzer

see Schutzverwandter

besetzt

(personal description in a passport) stocky, heavyset (=untersetzt) (source: letter to client from German researcher)

Bierkauf

see Arrha

Blutzehnt

tithe of or on livestock (H)

Brinksitzer

isolated settler on the outskirts of an farm village near the undeveloped surrounding area, called the brink. Originally the brink was a woods, but later the term came to refer to any undeveloped land. The Brinksitzer eventually acquired land and rights. (HW)

Bürger

burgher; click here for fuller explanation (M)

Butheler

nailsmith (FW)

Butteler

cellarer (FW)

C

Cubiterin

new mother, woman in childbed

D

Dimissoriale

(in marriage record) affidavit by which a pastor grants consent for one of his parishioners to be married by another pastor (HW)

Drubbel

central part of a farm community, where houses were clustered

E

Eichelmast

right to drive pigs or other livestock into the forest (oak) to feed (see Mast) (HW, inferred)

Eigenfeld

field farmed by the owner himself, with the help of day laborers, rather than by a tenant farmer; privately owned land as opposed to land owned by the crown (inferred from entries in HW for Eigenbau, Eigengut, etc.)

Einwohner

resident of a community with fewer rights than a Bürger, also called Schutzverwandter

Erbrecht

form of landholding whereby the holder can turn the land over to another (who can, in turn, bequeath it to his heirs) in return for an annual rent, without the holder's having direct ownership himself; he only owns the right to use the land (HW)

Excapitulant

military enlistee

F

Feldschütz

field guard (H)

Fronden, Fronen

socage, manual labor rendered by a tenant to his landlord under the feudal system (HW)

G

Genoßsame

community of vassals belonging to a feudal estate (HW)

Geschwei

sister-in-law, mother-in-law (FW)

Glevenbürger

see Pfahlbürger (HW) and link at Bürger

Grometh

newmown hay or grass

grundbar

subject to land rent

Grundbeere

potato

H

Handlohn

honorarium paid to the landlord for his consent when a lease changes hands; also called Laudemium (HW)

Häusler

see Heuerling

Heuerling

contract farm worker who receives a house and small plot of land on the farm in return for labor and an annual fee (HW)

Hofbeständer

see Genoßsame (HW)

Hüsselte

see Heuerling

I

Imbiß

see Arrha

ingehend

first [of a month]

Inmann, Inwohner

see Schutzverwandter

K

Kan(d)elgießer

see Kannengießer

Kandler

see Kannengießer

Kannenbäcker

potter (see Krugbäcker; inferred, since both Kanne and Krug mean "tankard, jug, or pot")

Kannengießer

pewterer (H)

Ke(e)srecht

right to let livestock feed in the forest; see Mast (H/W)

Krugbäcker

potter (T)

L

Laudemium

see Handlohn

Lei(h)kauf

see Weinkauf (HW)

Leibzüchter(in)

life-annuitant (H); person living on a Leibzucht or life estate[-in ending is feminine]

Losacker

see Allmende

ludeigen

free and unencumbered [land] (HW)

M

Mast(recht)

(before stall feeding was introduced) the right to drive livestock, especially pigs, into the forest for fattening on acorns, beechnuts, etc. (HW); Mast (English mast) also refers to fattening or the feed itself (H)

Merino

minor official [Spain] (HW)

Metze

an old unit of measure that varied in size, used especially for grain (D)

O

Observanda

midwife

P

Pfahlbürger

person living outside a city who enjoyed burgher rights in return for military service to the city (HW); also see link at Bürger

Pfleg(e)amt

district of of a Bavarian provincial court, administered by a Pfleger or provincial judge (HW)

Pfründe

benefice, living; prebend (H)

Podestat

see Merino

R

Rauchgeld

hearth tax (HW)

Ruggericht

peasants' court

S

Säckelmeister

cashier, treasurer (H) (do not confuse with Säcklermeister, master pursemaker)

Säckler

pursemaker (FW)

Scharwerk(e)

see Fronden (HW)

Scharwerk-Geld

socage fee, paid in lieu of manual labor

Schober

a box- or barrel-shaped pile of hay, straw, or grain kept outdoors and covered (D)

Schock

60, threescore (H)

Schutzverwandter

person entitled under state law to live in a community but who could not own land and had limited rights (M, HW); also called Beisasse, Beisitzer, Einwohner, Inmann, Inwohner, etc. (HW); for more information, see link at Bürger

Seckelmeister

see Säckelmeister

Siebner

one of seven village officials appointed to watch field boundaries and arbitrate in boundary disputes (HW)

Simri

old grain measure = 22.15 liter (A)

T

Tag(e)werk

old land measure, approximately equivalent to a Morgen (D), which varied from 0.6 to 0.9 acres (C1968). Some dictionaries translate Morgen as "acre."

Terminen

cramps, especially epilepsy (FW)

Tie, Thie, Thye

assembly place in a farm village, or the assembly itself and its proceedings (HW)

Tripfhäusl, Tropfhäusl

small house to which belongs only the ground directly beneath the roof and eaves

U

Untergänger

judges in border disputes

W

Weinkauf

see Arrha

Weißbeck, Weißbäcker

fancy baker, baker of wheaten bread (H); baker and confectioner (C1968)

Werkhschuh

foot