Unterwelt

German

Etymology

15th century, from unter- +‎ Welt. The sense “world of crime” (early 20th c.) is a semantic loan from English underworld.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈʊntərˌvɛlt/, [ˈʔʊn.tɐˌvɛlt], [-ˌʋɛlt]
  • Audio(file)

Noun

Unterwelt f (genitive Unterwelt, plural Unterwelten)

  1. netherworld, underworld, Hades, Sheol (kind of afterlife that is neither heaven nor hell)
    Synonyms: Reich des Todes, Schattenreich, Hades, Scheol
  2. underworld (world of crime)
    Synonyms: Milieu, Verbrechermilieu, Verbrecherwelt
  3. (obsolete) this world, the earthly life (as opposed to heaven)
    Synonyms: Diesseits, Welt, irdisches Leben

Declension
Declension of Unterwelt [feminine]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative eine die Unterwelt die Unterwelten
genitive einer der Unterwelt der Unterwelten
dative einer der Unterwelt den Unterwelten
accusative eine die Unterwelt die Unterwelten

Further reading
  • “Unterwelt” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • “Unterwelt” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
  • “Unterwelt” in Duden online
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