German–English dictionary

zerknirscht

Sincerely penitent or feeling regret or sorrow, especially for one’s own actions.

Zerknirschtheit

The state of being contrite; sincere penitence or remorse.

Zerknirschung

The state of being contrite; sincere penitence or remorse.

zerknittern

(ambitransitive) To fold, crease, crumple, or wad.

zerknüllen

(transitive) To crumple and squeeze to make more compact.

zerkratzen

To mark a surface with a sharp object, thereby leaving a scratch (noun).

zerkrümeln

(intransitive, often, figurative) To fall apart; to disintegrate.

zerlegen

To cut meat in order to serve it.

Zerlegung

The act of taking something apart, e.g. for analysis.

zermahlen

(transitive) To reduce to smaller pieces by crushing with lateral motion.

zermalmen

(transitive, archaic) To crush or pound, especially using a pestle and mortar.

zermatschen

(transitive, informal) To squeeze, compress, or crush (especially something moist).

zermürben

(transitive) To tire or make weary by physical or mental exertion.

zermürbend

Very difficult or taxing; exhausting; backbreaking.

Zermürbung

Grinding down or wearing away by friction.

zernarben

(transitive) To make pits in; to mark with little hollows.

Zero

The cardinal number occurring before one and that denotes no quantity or amount at all, represented in Arabic numerals as 0.

zerpflücken

(transitive) To examine something with great care or detail, as to look for hidden or obscure flaws.

zerplatzen

(transitive) To cause to break from internal pressure.

zerquetschen

(transitive, informal) To squeeze, compress, or crush (especially something moist).

Zerquetschung

A violent collision or compression; a crash; destruction; ruin.

Zerrbild

Having the characteristics of a caricature, grotesque.

zerreiben

To mix, or make uniformly soft, by beating, rubbing, or straining, as in preparing food.

zerreißen

(transitive) To separate into parts with force or sudden violence; to split; to burst.

zerren

(transitive) To pull along a surface or through a medium, sometimes with difficulty.

zerrissen

Torn, either partly or into separate pieces.

Zerrspielzeug

A dog toy consisting of a rope, often with a knot in it.

Zerrung

An injury resulting from violent effort; a sprain.

zerrütten

(transitive) To pervert, as the mind, and turn it from the truth; to corrupt; to confound.

zerschellen

(transitive) To break (something brittle) violently.

zerschlagen

(transitive, of hopes or dreams) To ruin; to destroy.

zerschlissen

Beaten up through a lot of use; in rough condition; weathered.

zerschlitzen

To cut a narrow opening.

zerschmettern

(intransitive) To collide with something destructively; to fall or come down violently.

zerschmettert

Physically broken into pieces.

Zerschmetterung

A violent collision or compression; a crash; destruction; ruin.

zersetzen

(intransitive) To rot, decay or putrefy.

zersetzend

Capable of burning, corroding or destroying organic tissue.

Zersetzung

The act of corrupting or making putrid, or state of being corrupt or putrid; decomposition or disorganization, in the process of putrefaction; putrefaction; deterioration.

zersplittern

(transitive) To break up into small, mutually-hostile units, especially on a political basis.

zersplittert

Non-functional; not functioning properly.

Zersplitterung

The act of dissipating or dispersing; a state of dispersion or separation; dispersion; waste.

Zersprenger

(chiefly, colloquial, with 'of') Someone who or something that 'breaks', tames, or overpowers a specified person or thing.

zerspringen

(intransitive) To smash, or break into tiny pieces.

zerstampfen

(transitive) To convert into a mash; to reduce to a soft pulpy state by beating or pressure

zerstäuben

(transitive) To project a liquid in a dispersive manner toward something.

Zerstäuber

An instrument for reducing a liquid to spray or vapor for disinfecting, cooling, medical use or perfume spraying.

zerstören

(UK, originally, Irish, slang) To ruin or destroy.

zerstörend

Causing destruction; damaging.

Zerstörer

That which destroys something.

Zerstörerin

That which destroys something.

zerstörerisch

Tending to destroy, devastate, overwhelm, or cause complete destruction.

zerstört

(of a, person) Completely defeated and dispirited; shattered; destroyed.

zerstört sein

(intransitive) To be given, especially to be assigned or allotted.

Zerstörung

The act of destroying or otherwise turning into nothing, or nonexistence.

zerstreuen

(transitive) To cause to change from being concentrated at one point or site to being distributed across several.

zerstreut

Absent in mind; often preoccupied; forgetful or careless due to distraction; easily distracted. [First attested in the mid 19th century.]

Zerstreuung

The act of dissipating or dispersing; a state of dispersion or separation; dispersion; waste.

zerstückeln

(transitive) To cut or otherwise divide something into pieces.

zerstückelt

(informal) Badly designed or implemented.

zerteilen

(transitive) To cut (meat etc.) into small pieces for frying.

Zerteilung

The act of dissipating or dispersing; a state of dispersion or separation; dispersion; waste.

Zertifikat

A document containing a certified statement.

zertifizieren

To supply with a certificate, especially following certification.

Zertifizierung

The act of certifying.

zertrennen

To render disjoint; to remove a connection, linkage, or intersection.

zertrümmern

(transitive) To break (something brittle) violently.

Zertrümmerung

The act of fragmenting or something fragmented; disintegration.

zervikal

(anatomy, relational) Of or pertaining to the cervix.

Zervix

(now, specifically) The cervix uteri, or lower, narrow portion of the uterus where it joins with the top end of the vagina.

Zerwürfnis

A split or separation within a group or organization, typically caused by discord.

zerzausen

(transitive) To disarrange or loosen (hair, clothing, etc.).

zerzaust

(of a person) With the hair uncombed.

Zession

(legal) A transfer of a right or benefit from one person to another.

Zessionsurkunde

(legal) A document that effects this transfer.

Zeste

The outer skin of a citrus fruit, used as a flavouring or garnish.

Zet

The name of the Latin-script letter Z/z.

Zeta

The sixth letter of the modern Greek alphabet (Ζ, ζ) preceded by epsilon (Ε, ε) and followed by eta, (Η, η); or the seventh letter in the ancient Greek alphabet, in which it is preceded by digamma (Ϝ, ϝ)

Zett

The name of the Latin-script letter Z/z.

Zettel

A printed sheet such as a leaflet or pamphlet, or a worksheet, that is given out free of charge (usually by hand) for a certain use, for example as an advertisement or for information.

Zeug

(informal) Miscellaneous items or objects; (with possessive) personal effects.

zeugen

To cause; to produce; to bring forth.

Zeugenaussage

(legal) Statements made by a witness in court.

Zeugenberg

(geology) A part of a formation separated from the rest of the formation by erosion.

Zeugenstand

The platform on which a witness testifies in court; the witness stand or witness box.

Zeughaus

A military establishment for the storing, development, manufacturing, testing, or repairing of arms, ammunition, and other war materiel; an armoury.

Zeugnis

A document containing a certified statement.

Zeugung

The sexual activity of conceiving and bearing biological offspring

Zeugungskraft

The ability of a man to procreate.

Zeugungsunfähigkeit

Inability to copulate or beget children; sterility, erectile dysfunction, etc.

Zeus

(Greek god) Supreme ruler of all Greek gods, husband to Hera.

Zezidie

(plant disease) A blister or tumor-like growth found on the surface of plants, caused by various pathogens, especially the burrowing of insect larvae into the living tissues, such as that of the common oak gall wasp (Cynips quercusfolii).

Zibbe

A female sheep, as opposed to a ram.

Zichorie

(chiefly, Britain) Common chicory (Cichorium intybus), source of Belgian endive, radicchio, and certain other cultivars with other names.

Zichorienkaffee

(uncountable, cooking) A coffee substitute made from the roasted roots of the common chicory, sometimes used as a cheap adulterant in real coffee.

Zicke

A female goat.

Zickenkampf

(slang) A fight or bickering, especially between women.

Zickenkrieg

(slang) A fight or bickering, especially between women.

zickig

(of a person) Easily offended, oversensitive.

zickzack

in a zigzag manner or pattern

Ziege

(uncountable) The meat of the aforementioned animal.

Ziegel

(countable) A hardened rectangular block of mud, clay etc., used for building.

Ziegelstein

(countable) A hardened rectangular block of mud, clay etc., used for building.

Ziegenbart

A beard trimmed to grow only at the center of the chin.

Ziegenpeter

(pathology) A contagious disease caused by the Mumps virus of the genus Rubulavirus, mostly occurring in childhood, which causes swelling of glands in the face and neck.

ziehen

(transitive) To pull along a surface or through a medium, sometimes with difficulty.

ziehen lassen

To make tea (or other beverage) by placing leaves in hot water.

ziehen nach

(intransitive) To deviate gently from the intended direction of travel.

Ziehharmonika

A box-shaped musical instrument played by compressing or expanding its bellows while pressing its buttons or its keys, causing pallets to open, which allow air to flow across strips of brass or steel (reeds).

ziehschleifen

(transitive) To sharpen with a hone; to whet.

Ziehung

The procedure by which the result of a lottery is determined.

Ziel

The point intended to be hit, or object intended to be attained or affected.

Zielen

The pointing of a weapon, as a gun, a dart, or an arrow, or object, in the line of direction with the object intended to be struck; the line of fire; the direction of anything, such as a spear, a blow, a discourse, a remark, towards a particular point or object, with a view to strike or affect it.

zielgerichtet

Focused on reaching a particular objective or serving a particular purpose.

Zielgruppe

(media, marketing) The primary group of people for whom a publication, advertisement or other type of media is designed to appeal.

Zielkugel

(bowls) A small, typically white, ball used as the target ball in bowls; a jack-ball. [from 17th c.]

ziellos

Without aim, purpose, or direction.

ziellos wandern

(intransitive) To move haphazardly without any destination.

ziellos ziehen

(intransitive) To move haphazardly without any destination.

Zielmenge

(mathematics, analysis) The target set into which a function is formally defined to map elements of its domain; the set denoted Y in the notation f : X → Y.

Zielpublikum

(media, marketing) The primary group of people for whom a publication, advertisement or other type of media is designed to appeal.

Zielrichtung

(figuratively) The primary effort; the goal.

Zielscheibe

The point intended to be hit, or object intended to be attained or affected.

Zielscheibenmitte

A shot which hits the centre of a target.

ziemen

Without any qualifying word: to be appropriate or creditable (for someone or something).

ziemlich

Somewhat, fairly, quite; sometimes also (by meiosis) very.

Zier-

Serving as an ornament; having no purpose other than to make more beautiful.

Zierbau

(architecture) A fanciful building built for purely ornamental reasons.

zieren

(transitive) To adorn; to decorate; to embellish and dignify.

Ziergitter

An outdoor garden frame that can be used for partitioning a common area.

zierlich

Elegant; delicately small and pretty.

Zierpflanze

An ornamental plant.

Ziesel

A small burrowing rodent native to North and Central America, especially in the family Geomyidae (pocket gophers).

Zieselmaus

A small burrowing rodent native to North and Central America, especially in the family Geomyidae (pocket gophers).

Ziffer

A numeric character.

Zifferblatt

The surface of a clock that contains the dial and hands (via the traditional design of clocks); such an arrangement on either a clock or a watch.

zig

(informal, often, _, slightly, _, derogatory) Relatively large but unspecified in number. [1907]

Zigarette

A small cigar consisting of tobacco or another substance, wrapped up in a thin roll with paper, intended for smoking.

Zigarettenanzünder

A device used to light things, especially a reusable handheld device for creating fire to light cigarettes.

Zigarre

A cylinder of tobacco rolled and wrapped with an outer covering of tobacco leaves, intended to be smoked.

Zigeuner

(colloquial) An itinerant person or any person, not necessarily Romani; a tinker, a traveller or a carny.

Zigeunerin

(colloquial) An itinerant person or any person, not necessarily Romani; a tinker, a traveller or a carny.

zigeunerisch

Of or belonging to the Roma people.

Zigeunersprache

The Indo-Aryan lect of the Roma people, or one of its sublects (such as Roma, Sinti, Romanichal, etc), closely related to Hindi and Rajasthani.

Zikade

Any of several insects in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with small eyes wide apart on the head and transparent well-veined wings.

Zikkurat

(archaeology) A temple tower of the ancient Mesopotamian valley, having the form of a terraced pyramid of successively receding stories

Zimir

(heraldry) A bearing worn, not upon the shield, but usually on a helmet above it, sometimes (as for clerics) separately above the shield or separately as a mark for plate, in letterheads, and the like.

Zimmer

A room or set of rooms, particularly:

Zimmerei

(uncountable) The trade of cutting and joining timber in order to construct buildings or other structures; woodworking.

Zimmerfrau

A maid who handles the chores in a bedroom.