Alb

Alb

See also: ALB, Alb., alb, and alb.

English

Etymology

Borrowed from German Alb.

Proper noun

Alb

  1. A tributary of the High Rhine in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

See also

Further reading

German

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /alp/
  • Audio (Germany (Berlin)):(file)
  • Homophone: Alp

Etymology 1

    From Middle High German alb, alp, from Old High German alp, from Proto-West Germanic *albi, from Proto-Germanic *albiz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *albʰós. Doublet of Elf, borrowed from English later.

    Noun

    Alb m (mixed, genitive Albs or Albes, plural Alben)

    2. (Germanic mythology) elf, especially an evil one
      Synonyms: Elf, Elb, Elbe
    Declension
    Declension of Alb [masculine, mixed]
    singular plural
    indef. def. noun def. noun
    nominative ein der Alb die Alben
    genitive eines des Albs, Albes der Alben
    dative einem dem Alb, Albe1 den Alben
    accusative einen den Alb die Alben

    1Now rare, see notes.

    Noun

    Alb m (strong, genitive Albs or Albes, plural Albe)

    2. (Germanic folklore) creature that sits on one's chest while one sleeps
    4. nightmare (formerly believed to be caused by such a creature)
    6. (figurative, higher register) mental oppression, anxiety

    Usage notes

    Declension

    Declension of Alb [masculine, strong]
    singular plural
    indef. def. noun def. noun
    nominative ein der Alb die Albe
    genitive eines des Albs, Albes der Albe
    dative einem dem Alb, Albe1 den Alben
    accusative einen den Alb die Albe

    1Now rare, see notes.

    Alternative forms

    Derived terms

    Etymology 2

      Borrowed from Alemannic German Alp, from Middle High German albe, from Old High German alba.

      Noun

      Alb f (genitive Alb, plural Alben)

      2. (regional) mountainous area, upland
        Alternative form: Alp
        Synonym: Alm
        Schwäbische Alb ― Swabian Jura

      Proper noun

      Alb f (proper noun, genitive Alb)

      1. Alb (a tributary of the Rhine in Germany).

      References

      • Thyen, Olaf (and Michael Clark, Werner Scholze-Stubenrecht, Bradbury Sykes (1999), The Oxford-Duden German Dictionary: German-English, English-German‎[1], Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 71: “Alb2 .. (veralt.: Kobold) goblin believed to give sleeping people nightmares..”
      • Thode, Ernest (1992), German-English Genealogical Dictionary‎[2], Genealogical Publishing Com, →ISBN, page 9: “Alb - mountain; hill; ridge; escarpment; upland area..”
      • Betterridge, Harold T. (1978), Cassell's German-English English-German Dictionary, Macmillan, →ISBN, page 9: “1Alb 1. elf, .. 2. nighmare. 2Alb (dial.) alp(s)..”

      Further reading

      Romanian

      Etymology

      From alb.

      Proper noun

      Alb m (genitive/dative lui Alb)

      1. a surname
      This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.