Because German and English are closely related many words are common to the two languages. These are some of the many words that have been borrowed by English and have kept their distinct German character.
The Germans were great chemists during the 19th and early 20th centuries giving English many chemical terms ("bismuth", "quartz"). There are several words from World War II ("gestapo", "Nazi", "rocket"). Some food words are also present ("muffin", "strudel").
Two words associated with the USA are also German: "dollar" and "hamburger".
| Word | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| abseil | ||
| angst | ||
| Austria | from 'Oster Reich', eastern empire | European country. |
| Bismuth | white mass | Metallic chemical element. One of many chemical terms from German. |
| blitz | ||
| brake | bridle | Originally applied to stopping horses. |
| clock | ||
| clown | ||
| dachshund | A type of dog. | |
| dollar | Named after its place of origin. | |
| Dutch | People and language from the Netherlands. | |
| edelweiss | An Alpine plant. | |
| feldspar | One of many geological terms from German. | |
| flak | ||
| Gestapo | The German secret police, 1933 to 1945. | |
| hamburger | Named after its city of origin. | |
| heroin | ||
| hex | ||
| hinterland | ||
| kindergarten | children's garden | School for very young children. |
| lager | Lager in the UK is equivalent to beer in the USA. Beer in the UK is stronger. | |
| larch | A type of tree. | |
| luck | ||
| menthol | ||
| muffin | One of many cake, pastry, snack words from German. | |
| Nazi | ||
| nickel | Named after the Devil (Old Nick). | |
| noodle | ||
| plunder | ||
| poodle | A type of dog. | |
| pretzel | A snack eaten in the USA. | |
| quartz | A type of rock. | |
| rapier | ||
| rocket | ||
| rub | ||
| rucksack | ||
| sauerkraut | ||
| schadenfreude | taking delight in the misfortunes of others | Used in the UK. |
| scoop | ||
| shirk | scoundrel | A person who avoids work or responsibility. |
| sling | ||
| snorkel | ||
| sod | turf | Used as a swear word in England (UK). |
| stroll | wander | |
| strudel | Pastry with apples. | |
| swindle | ||
| tackle | apparatus | As in 'fishing tackle' (UK). |
| vandal | Named after a warlike Germanic tribe. | |
| veneer | ||
| waltz | A dance. | |
| waylay | ||
| wrangle | ||
| Yiddish | Jewish | A dialect of German spoken by the Jewish community. |
| yodel |
