• @Bruncvik
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    1313 days ago

    “Hippo” in German translates as “The horse of the Nile”. It’s such a fun language, with its word combinations.

    • @[email protected]
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      13 days ago

      Got a thing without name? I present “-Zeug”!

      • Fly thing? Flugzeug
      • Fire thing? Feuerzeug
      • Thing you need for work? Werkzeug
      • The things that you punch to make sounds? Schlagzeug
      • Unidentified things? Zeug

      I love German.

      • @aeronmelonM
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        713 days ago

        It sounds like an Orc saying “zug.”

        “Me take TPS report zug to work zug.”

    • @[email protected]
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      1213 days ago

      Basically the same in English-- the etymology is PIE through Greek and Latin meaning river horse. Historians call horse/chariot stadiums from ancient Greece hippodromes.

      • AreaSIX
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        613 days ago

        Still called river horse in Swedish (flodhäst), not exclusive to the Nile though.

    • @edgemaster72
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      613 days ago

      Lemmy told me that raccoon in German literally translates as “washing bear” and I still think about that at least once a week

    • goldenbug
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      413 days ago

      It’s an amazing language. My favorite is the word for contraceptive pills: antibabypille!

    • MacN'Cheezus
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      13 days ago

      Wait till you learn what “airplane”, “lighter”, and “tool” are.