Mittelstand
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German
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From mittel- (“middle, central”) + Stand (“stand(ing), position, estate”); perfectly parallel to cognate Dutch middenstand.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]Mittelstand m (strong, genitive Mittelstandes or Mittelstands, plural Mittelstände)
- (literally) the middle class, wealthy (bourgeois) section of the third estate
- Synonyms: Bourgeoisie, Mittelklasse
- the independent professionals, private initiative, notably tradesmen, entrepreneurs etc.
Declension
[edit]Declension of Mittelstand [masculine, strong]
| singular | plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indef. | def. | noun | def. | noun | |
| nominative | ein | der | Mittelstand | die | Mittelstände |
| genitive | eines | des | Mittelstandes, Mittelstands | der | Mittelstände |
| dative | einem | dem | Mittelstand, Mittelstande1 | den | Mittelständen |
| accusative | einen | den | Mittelstand | die | Mittelstände |
1Now rare, see notes.
Derived terms
[edit]- mittelständisch (adjective)
- Mittelständler m
Related terms
[edit]See also
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- “Mittelstand” in Duden online
- “Mittelstand” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache