Ziege

== German == === Etymology === From Middle High German zige, from Old High German ziga, from Proto-West Germanic *tigā. Ziege was originally found in Franconian dialects alongside otherwise exclusive Geiß. In Middle High German times, it established itself in the colonial dialects (East Central German) and also conquered vast areas of Low German, where the borrowing Middle Low German sēge was predominant since at least the 15th century (in part due to the rarity of goat breeding). During the same time, curiously, Ziege was lost in large parts of West Central German and Upper Franconian, its original provenance. Its eventual victory in the standard language was reinforced by its use in Luther’s Bible. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈt͡siːɡə/ Hyphenation: Zie‧ge === Noun === Ziege f (genitive Ziege, plural Ziegen) goat Synonyms: (both regional) Geiß, Hippe (informal, derogatory) a stupid, stubborn person (usually female) Synonym: Zicke (slang) GOAT (greatest of all time; or, an exceptionally talented person) ==== Usage notes ==== The singular refers principally to female goats, though it might also be used for male ones. The plural is entirely neutral with regard to natural gender. The female gender may be specified by means of the word Zicke, which is uncommon in literary German, however. ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== alte Ziegen lecken auch gern Salz Ziegenbart, Ziegenbock, Ziegenfell, Ziegenficker, Ziegenkäse, Ziegenmilch, Ziegenstall Angoraziege, Bergziege, Hausziege, Milchziege, Schneeziege, Wildziege, Zimtziege ==== See also ==== Bock m Geißbock m Zicke f === Further reading === “Ziege” in Duden online “Ziege”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎[1] (in German)