{"id":7166,"date":"2016-11-10T07:00:58","date_gmt":"2016-11-10T07:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=7166"},"modified":"2017-12-08T14:38:12","modified_gmt":"2017-12-08T14:38:12","slug":"untranslatable-german-words-magdeburgisieren","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/untranslatable-german-words-magdeburgisieren\/","title":{"rendered":"Untranslatable German Words: Magdeburgisieren"},"content":{"rendered":"

In our segment of untranslatable words in German, we discuss words that have no English equivalent. Today, I will have a look at a rather grim one, but that is definitely untranslatable. Today, I will discuss the verb\u00a0magdeburgisieren<\/em>.<\/p>\n

What does magdeburgisieren\u00a0<\/em>mean?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

During the\u00a0Drei\u00dfigj\u00e4hrigen Krieg\u00a0<\/em>(Thirty Years’ War) from 1618-1648, an absolute low occurred in 1631. In May of that year, the\u00a0Truppen\u00a0<\/em>(troops) of the\u00a0Kaiser<\/em> (emperor) stormed the city of Magdeburg (close to Leipzig and Berlin), because the city had refused to pay a tribute and did not capitulate. It was a thriving city with 35,000\u00a0Einwohner\u00a0<\/em>(inhabitants). Due to their disobedience, the inhabitants were declared\u00a0vogelfrei\u00a0<\/em>(outlawed). Thus, it did not matter what would happen to them – indiscriminately, inhabitants were robbed, raped and murdered. The city was set on fire, which cost even more lives. In the end, 20,000 inhabitants had died. The city was a mess, and many people moved away, because they could not live there anymore. It became a ghost town, with only 450 inhabitants in 1639. It took until the 19th century for the city to recover and grow again.<\/p>\n

Because of the awful terror and cruelty of the sack of the city, which is also called the\u00a0Magdeburger Hochzeit\u00a0<\/em>(Magdeburg Marriage), a verb emerged:\u00a0magdeburgisieren<\/em>.\u00a0It means:\u00a0to utterly destroy, annihilate something<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

What is the literal translation of magdeburgisieren<\/i>?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The literal translation of\u00a0magdeburgisieren\u00a0<\/em>would be\u00a0to magdeburgize<\/strong>, which doesn’t really help much.<\/p>\n

How would you use the word magdeburgisieren\u00a0<\/em>in a sentence?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Because\u00a0magdeburgisieren\u00a0<\/em>is a word that refers to a specific event and is definitely not easier than just using an equivalent such as\u00a0zerst\u00f6ren<\/em>, it is not used much.<\/p>\n

However, if you want to emphasize the extreme degree of destruction, you can use the word. However, because it is not widespread at all and also its meaning is not that well-known, you are best advised to only use it in written language. Also, because\u00a0the name of the city of\u00a0Magdeburg\u00a0<\/em>is in there, it could lead to confusion.<\/p>\n

How would you use it? Some examples:<\/p>\n

Im zweiten Weltkrieg wurde die polnische Hauptstadt Warschau magdeburgisiert<\/em>. (In the Second World War, the Polish capital Warsaw was magdeburgized.)<\/p>\n

Nach dem Sturm war die Stra\u00dfe magdeburgisiert: man konnte sie gar nicht mehr erkennen<\/em>. (After the storm, the street was magdeburgized: you could not recognize it anymore.)<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the nearest English equivalent to magdeburgisieren<\/i>?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The closest equivalent that I am aware of would be\u00a0to annihilate<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Is there a word in your language equivalent to\u00a0magdeburgisieren<\/em>? What are your thoughts on it? Let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

In our segment of untranslatable words in German, we discuss words that have no English equivalent. Today, I will have a look at a rather grim one, but that is definitely untranslatable. Today, I will discuss the verb\u00a0magdeburgisieren. What does magdeburgisieren\u00a0mean? During the\u00a0Drei\u00dfigj\u00e4hrigen Krieg\u00a0(Thirty Years’ War) from 1618-1648, an absolute low occurred in 1631. In…<\/p>\n

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