Polyglot Dictionary

Heimat

/ˈhaɪ̯maːt/

die noun B1

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

Underline = a spelling pattern that usually signals that gender.

N Register Neutral Era Current Frequency Common Domain General Tone Neutral

Meaning

  1. homeland, the place that feels like home

    Not bound to a nation-state — a Heimat can be a small town, a region, even a feeling, as much as a country.

    • Bayern ist meine Heimat.

      Bavaria is my home.

N Category Place Concreteness Concrete Animacy Inanimate Countability Countable Scope Individual

Similar words

Vaterland

Vaterland (fatherland) is formal and nationalistic, tied specifically to the nation-state. Heimat is gentler and more personal, and doesn't require political borders at all — many Germans call a small home region their Heimat without any reference to the country as a whole.

Inland

Heimat is warm and personal — the place that feels like home, which doesn't have to line up with any border. Inland is a dry, administrative term: whichever side of the border you're standing on.

Practice

1 What does Heimat mean?

2 Fill the gap: Bayern ist meine ___.

3 Which fingerprint chart matches Heimat?

See also

nounabstractuntranslatableculture

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