mittel

See also: Mittel

English

Etymology

From German Mittel (14-point type)

Noun

mittel (uncountable)

  1. (printing, German contexts, dated) Synonym of English.

German

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈmɪtl̩], [ˈmɪtəl]
  • (file)

Adjective

mittel (comparative mittlerer, superlative am mittelsten)

  1. (attributive, now archaic in the positive, see usage notes) middle, in the middle
    in mitt(e)ler Nacht, in mitteler Zeit, zum mittlen (Segen-)Tau
  2. (informal, predicative, invariable) average, middling
    Wie ist die Klassenarbeit gelaufen? Na ja, so mittel.

Usage notes

The positive form mittel has largely fallen out of usage in modern German, occurring mostly in compound terms such as Mittelalter, Mittelpunkt, Mittelhochdeutsch, et cetera. The superlative is also uncommon. Mittlerer, which originated as the comparative form, is now used in places where one would expect the positive form.

Declension

compare the declension of mittlerer
or with the e elided

Derived terms

Further reading

  • mittel” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • mittel in Duden online
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