I love English words derived from German because they are so zany.
Today’s Word of the Day is no exception.
“Bildungsroman” is the combination of two German words: Bildung, meaning “education,” and Roman, meaning “novel.” Fittingly, a “bildungsroman” is a novel that deals with the formative years of the main character. In particular, it traces his/her psychological development and moral education. The bildungsroman usually ends on a positive note. The hero’s foolish mistakes and painful disappointments are over and a life of usefulness lies ahead. The term is primarily applied to novels. But in recent years, some have begun to apply the term to films that deal with a youthful character’s coming-of-age.
I especially love the examples Merriam Webster provides. An especially zany disclaimer follows.
“Science fiction, fantasy is a youth-loving tradition, the bildungsroman, the origin story of the young farm boy or farm girl who’s finding their way.”
— Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge, “Author Myke Cole talks writing hard science fiction in his space-set Coast Guard novel Sixteenth Watch.”
“This lesbian bildungsroman alternates with the larger tale of James Bond derring-do set in 1966 in Buenos Aires, where a grown-up Vera is spying for the CIA.”
— Maureen Corrigan, chicagotribune.com, “Forget about 007. This heroine has her own brand of spycraft.”
Disclaimer: These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
The longest German word?
The other thing I reallyReallyREALLY love about German words is how they just keep gluing things together until they get the desired degree of specificity. Not so easy on the tongue however. Consider the following:
“Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän” clocks in with 42 letters. In English, it becomes 4 words: “Danube steamship company captain.”
“Betäubungsmittelverschreibungsverordnung” is a mesmerizing word that’s difficult to read. It refers to a “regulation requiring a prescription for an anesthetic.”
“Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften” is one you might actually be able to pronounce if you take it one syllable at a time. It means, “legal protection insurance companies.” According to Guinness, this is the longest German dictionary word in everyday usage.
And the winner is…
“Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz” references a “beef labeling regulation and delegation of supervision law.” This was a 1999 German Word of the Year and also won a special award as the longest German word for 1999.
And for all the other years?
Guess you’ll just have to stay tuned – or read my zany bildungsroman – to find out. But remember: Always best to end on a positive note. You been warned.