Klette

German

Etymology

From Middle High German klette, from Old High German kletta f, kletto m, from Proto-Germanic *klīþô, from Proto-Indo-European *gleyt- (“to cling to, cleave, stick”), from *gley-. Cognate with Old Saxon kledda f, kleddo m and Middle Low German klette. Related to klettern (“to climb”) and Kleid (“dress”), also Middle Dutch clisse, Dutch klis, Old English cliþe, clāte and English clote (“burdock”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈklɛtə/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛtə

Noun

Klette f (genitive Klette, plural Kletten)

1. burdock
2. a burr (a seed pod with sharp features that stick in fur or clothing)
3. (figuratively) a clingy person

Declension

Declension of Klette [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Klette	die	Kletten
genitive	einer	der	Klette	der	Kletten
dative	einer	der	Klette	den	Kletten
accusative	eine	die	Klette	die	Kletten

Derived terms

• Klettverschluss

Related terms

• kletten

Further reading

• “Klette” in Duden online
• “Klette” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache