From ′Wellenbrecher′ to ′Abwrackprämie′: Germany′s words of the year from 2010 to 2021 | All media content | DW | 03.12.2021

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Culture

From 'Wellenbrecher' to 'Abwrackprämie': Germany's words of the year from 2010 to 2021

"Wellenbrecher," or pandemic "wave breaker," is the word of the year 2021. A look at some terms that have been honored, ridiculed or lampooned by the Association for the German Language.

  • Large wave in blue ocean

    2021: 'Wellenbrecher'

    A plausible choice in times of an ongoing pandemic, "Wellenbrecher" (literally wave breaker) is a term that comes from coastal protection — it means breakwater. But these days, it stands for all the measures that have been and are being taken to break the fourth COVID-19 wave, says the German Language Association, which unfailingly selects the word of the year every year.

  • A stylized depiction of a coronavirus

    2020: 'Corona-Pandemie'

    The COVID-19 pandemic was, of course, the leading topic of the year 2020, and that's why the German word of the year was none other than "Corona-Pandemie" (corona pandemic). The runner-up word selected by the jury was also related to the pandemic: "Lockdown."

  • Word cloud for German words of the year in 2019

    2019: 'Respektrente'

    Planned changes in German pension laws were set to put many workers at a disadvantage by retirement (Rente), so the bill was disparagingly dubbed "Respektrente." The term won over the expressions "Rollerchaos," referring to the chaos created by the sudden invasion of electric scooters in German cities, and "Fridays for Future," the English name for a worldwide school strike for climate movement.

  • Dried soil with low river and a bridge in the background

    2018: 'Heisszeit'

    The term "Heisszeit," or warm age — as opposed to an "ice age," which sounds quite similar in German, "Eiszeit" — was chosen as the Word of the Year in 2018, reflecting not only Germany's extreme summer that year, but climate change as as whole.

  • The word Jamaika-Aus with a Jamaican flag in the background

    2017: 'Jamaika-Aus'

    "Jamaica coalition" refers to the symbolic colors of three parties in German politics: black for the conservative CDU/CSU, yellow for the business-friendly FDP and green for the Green Party. In 2017, coalition talks went on for weeks, but then came to an abrupt halt. This was "Jamaika-Aus," or Jamaica Out.

  • A piece of paper with the word of the year 2016, postfaktisch

    2016: 'postfaktisch'

    During the United States presidential election campaign, and after Donald Trump's victory in the fall of 2016, the word "postfaktisch" or post-factual came into common usage to denote the spread of fake news. Even then-Chancellor Angela Merkel used it. The term comes into play when public opinion is formed by emotion and resentment rather than objective facts.

  • Masses of refugees at a fence at the border between Austria and Slovenia

    2015: 'Flüchtlinge'

    Refugees — undoubtedly, no other issue had a bigger impact in Germany in 2015, when the Syrian civil war brought nearly a million refugees into the country. Runner-up was "Je suis Charlie," for expressing solidarity with the victims of the terrorist attack against the French satirical journal Charlie Hebdo. No. 3 was "Grexit," which referred to the possible expulsion of Greece from the Eurozone.

  • The Berlin Wall murals with the light installation for the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall

    2014: 'Lichtgrenze'

    The winning word in 2014 was "Lichtgrenze," or border of light, which referred to a light installation on the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. This was followed by "schwarze Null," or black zero, describing government efforts to avoid new debts. Another favorite was "Götzseidank," a mash-up of "Gott sei Dank" (thank God) and the legendary goal of soccer star Mario Götze in Brazil.

  • Chancellor Angela Merkel and SPD politician Sigmar Gabriel

    2013: 'GroKo'

    "GroKo" is short for Grosse Koalition, a grand coalition of the CDU/CSU and the SPD. Recalling "Kroko" or crocodile, the word also expresses derision. The runner-up was "Protz-Bischof," or braggy bishop, referring to Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg, who came under fire for his prestigious construction projects. The term was followed by "Armutseinwanderung," poverty-driven migration.

  • A illuminated phone symbol with the word SOS and the Euro sign

    2012: 'Rettungsroutine'

    "Rescue routine" reflected repeated efforts to stabilize the European economy. "Kanzlerpräsidentin," chancellor-president, came second: It derided Merkel for acting as neutral as the German president. Third was "Bildungsabwendungsprämie," education-refusal-bonus, derogatorily used for stay-at-home moms who seek a financial reward from the state for not sending their kids to school.

  • A child with head dropped on school desk, symbol of frustrated high school student in classroom

    2011: 'Stresstest'

    "Stresstest" so superbly expressed the prevailing spirit of 2011 that it became part of everyday speech. Beyond the financial stress test banks faced, it referred to stress surrounding train stations, governments and nuclear power stations. This was followed by the verb "hebeln," to lever, associated with efforts to rescue the euro, as well as "Arabellion," in reference to the Arab Spring.

  • Face of angry man with steam coming out of his ears

    2010: 'Wutbürger'

    "Wutbürger," or angry citizen, reflected the impression that political decisions were being made without consulting the population. It was followed by "Stuttgart 21," the heavily criticized reconstruction of Stuttgart's main station, and "Sarrazin-Gen," referring to Thilo Sarrazin, a racist and antisemitic politician and author. He had said Jews share a particular gene, but that was turned on him.


  • Large wave in blue ocean

    2021: 'Wellenbrecher'

    A plausible choice in times of an ongoing pandemic, "Wellenbrecher" (literally wave breaker) is a term that comes from coastal protection — it means breakwater. But these days, it stands for all the measures that have been and are being taken to break the fourth COVID-19 wave, says the German Language Association, which unfailingly selects the word of the year every year.

  • A stylized depiction of a coronavirus

    2020: 'Corona-Pandemie'

    The COVID-19 pandemic was, of course, the leading topic of the year 2020, and that's why the German word of the year was none other than "Corona-Pandemie" (corona pandemic). The runner-up word selected by the jury was also related to the pandemic: "Lockdown."

  • Word cloud for German words of the year in 2019

    2019: 'Respektrente'

    Planned changes in German pension laws were set to put many workers at a disadvantage by retirement (Rente), so the bill was disparagingly dubbed "Respektrente." The term won over the expressions "Rollerchaos," referring to the chaos created by the sudden invasion of electric scooters in German cities, and "Fridays for Future," the English name for a worldwide school strike for climate movement.

  • Dried soil with low river and a bridge in the background

    2018: 'Heisszeit'

    The term "Heisszeit," or warm age — as opposed to an "ice age," which sounds quite similar in German, "Eiszeit" — was chosen as the Word of the Year in 2018, reflecting not only Germany's extreme summer that year, but climate change as as whole.

  • The word Jamaika-Aus with a Jamaican flag in the background

    2017: 'Jamaika-Aus'

    "Jamaica coalition" refers to the symbolic colors of three parties in German politics: black for the conservative CDU/CSU, yellow for the business-friendly FDP and green for the Green Party. In 2017, coalition talks went on for weeks, but then came to an abrupt halt. This was "Jamaika-Aus," or Jamaica Out.

  • A piece of paper with the word of the year 2016, postfaktisch

    2016: 'postfaktisch'

    During the United States presidential election campaign, and after Donald Trump's victory in the fall of 2016, the word "postfaktisch" or post-factual came into common usage to denote the spread of fake news. Even then-Chancellor Angela Merkel used it. The term comes into play when public opinion is formed by emotion and resentment rather than objective facts.

  • Masses of refugees at a fence at the border between Austria and Slovenia

    2015: 'Flüchtlinge'

    Refugees — undoubtedly, no other issue had a bigger impact in Germany in 2015, when the Syrian civil war brought nearly a million refugees into the country. Runner-up was "Je suis Charlie," for expressing solidarity with the victims of the terrorist attack against the French satirical journal Charlie Hebdo. No. 3 was "Grexit," which referred to the possible expulsion of Greece from the Eurozone.

  • The Berlin Wall murals with the light installation for the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall

    2014: 'Lichtgrenze'

    The winning word in 2014 was "Lichtgrenze," or border of light, which referred to a light installation on the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. This was followed by "schwarze Null," or black zero, describing government efforts to avoid new debts. Another favorite was "Götzseidank," a mash-up of "Gott sei Dank" (thank God) and the legendary goal of soccer star Mario Götze in Brazil.

  • Chancellor Angela Merkel and SPD politician Sigmar Gabriel

    2013: 'GroKo'

    "GroKo" is short for Grosse Koalition, a grand coalition of the CDU/CSU and the SPD. Recalling "Kroko" or crocodile, the word also expresses derision. The runner-up was "Protz-Bischof," or braggy bishop, referring to Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg, who came under fire for his prestigious construction projects. The term was followed by "Armutseinwanderung," poverty-driven migration.

  • A illuminated phone symbol with the word SOS and the Euro sign

    2012: 'Rettungsroutine'

    "Rescue routine" reflected repeated efforts to stabilize the European economy. "Kanzlerpräsidentin," chancellor-president, came second: It derided Merkel for acting as neutral as the German president. Third was "Bildungsabwendungsprämie," education-refusal-bonus, derogatorily used for stay-at-home moms who seek a financial reward from the state for not sending their kids to school.

  • A child with head dropped on school desk, symbol of frustrated high school student in classroom

    2011: 'Stresstest'

    "Stresstest" so superbly expressed the prevailing spirit of 2011 that it became part of everyday speech. Beyond the financial stress test banks faced, it referred to stress surrounding train stations, governments and nuclear power stations. This was followed by the verb "hebeln," to lever, associated with efforts to rescue the euro, as well as "Arabellion," in reference to the Arab Spring.

  • Face of angry man with steam coming out of his ears

    2010: 'Wutbürger'

    "Wutbürger," or angry citizen, reflected the impression that political decisions were being made without consulting the population. It was followed by "Stuttgart 21," the heavily criticized reconstruction of Stuttgart's main station, and "Sarrazin-Gen," referring to Thilo Sarrazin, a racist and antisemitic politician and author. He had said Jews share a particular gene, but that was turned on him.


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