Polyglot Dictionary

Doppelzüngigkeit

/ˈdɔpəlˌtsʏŋɪçkaɪt/

die noun C1

der (masc.) die (fem.) das (neut.)

Underline = a spelling pattern that usually signals that gender.

N Register Neutral Era Current Frequency Academic Domain General Tone Neutral

Meaning

  1. duplicity, double-dealing; saying different things to different people

    Built from Doppel (double) + züngigkeit (tongued-ness, from Zunge, "tongue") — literally "double-tonguedness".

    • Ihre Doppelzüngigkeit wurde schließlich entdeckt.

      Her duplicity was finally discovered.

N Category Thing Concreteness Concrete Animacy Inanimate Countability Countable Scope Individual

Made of

  • Doppel double
  • züngigkeit tongued-ness (from Zunge, "tongue")

Usage notes

A formal, literary word (literally "double-tonguedness") for deliberately inconsistent or deceitful speech. More common in written/formal register than everyday speech.

Practice

1 What does Doppelzüngigkeit mean?

2 Fill the gap: Ihre ___ wurde schließlich entdeckt.

3 Which fingerprint chart matches Doppelzüngigkeit?

nouncompound

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