Mittelstand

German

Etymology

From mittel- (“middle, central”) +‎ Stand (“stand(ing), position, estate”); perfectly parallel to cognate Dutch middenstand.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈmɪtl̩ˌʃtant/
  • Audio(file)

Noun

Mittelstand m (genitive Mittelstandes or Mittelstands, plural Mittelstände)

  1. (literally) The middle class, wealthy ('bourgeois') section of the third estate
    Synonyms: Bourgeoisie, Mittelklasse
  2. The independent professionals, private initiative, notably tradesmen, entrepreneurs etc.

Declension
Declension of Mittelstand (uncountable)
singular
indef. def. noun
nominative ein der Mittelstand
genitive eines des Mittelstandes,
Mittelstands
dative einem dem Mittelstand,
Mittelstande1
accusative einen den Mittelstand
1Now uncommon, see notes

Derived terms

See also

Further reading
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