Mittag

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɪtaːk/ (standard)

  • (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɪtax/ (northern Germany and parts of central Germany; now chiefly colloquial)
• IPA^(key): /ˈmɪtaːx/ (parts of central Germany; now chiefly colloquial)
• Hyphenation: Mit‧tag

Etymology 1

From Middle High German mittetac, from Old High German mittitac, compound of mitti (see German Mitte) and tac (see Tag). Cognate to Dutch middag.

Noun

Mittag m (strong, genitive Mittags or Mittages, plural Mittage)

1. noon, midday, late morning, early afternoon (time from about 11 a.m. to 2 p.m)

   Sie hat bis Mittag geschlafen.

   She slept until midday.

2. (archaic) south (compass point representing 180°)
   • 1545, Martin Luther, Luther Bible, Exodus 26:18 (with KJV translation)

     Zwenzig ſollen ir ſtehen gegen dem mittag

     And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward.

Declension

Declension of Mittag [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Mittag	die	Mittage
genitive	eines	des	Mittags, Mittages	der	Mittage
dative	einem	dem	Mittag, Mittage1	den	Mittagen
accusative	einen	den	Mittag	die	Mittage

¹Now rare, see notes.

Alternative forms

• Mitttag

Derived terms

• Vormittag
• Nachmittag
• Mittagsruhe
• Mittagessen
• Mittagspause
• mittags

See also

(times of day) Tageszeit; Morgendämmerung, Morgen, Vormittag, Mittag, Nachmittag (Frühnachmittag, Spätnachmittag), Abenddämmerung, Abend, Nacht, Mitternacht ^{(Category: de:Times of day)}

Etymology 2

Shortened from Mittagessen.

Noun

Mittag n (strong, genitive Mittags or Mittages, no plural)

1. (somewhat informal) lunch (light meal eaten around midday)

   Wann gibt's Mittag?

   When is lunch ready?

Declension

Declension of Mittag [sg-only, neuter, strong]

	singular
	indef.	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	Mittag
genitive	eines	des	Mittags, Mittages
dative	einem	dem	Mittag, Mittage1
accusative	ein	das	Mittag

¹Now rare, see notes.

Further reading

• “Mittag” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Mittag” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Mittag” in Duden online
• “Mittag” in Duden online
• Mittag on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de