Arsch

• *rsch (censored)

From Middle High German ars, from Old High German ars, from Proto-West Germanic *ars.

Cognate with Dutch aars, English arse, Norwegian rass. The alternative neuter gender in the figurative sense probably from a backformation from Arschloch (“arsehole”).

• IPA^(key): /arʃ/, [ʔaʁʃ], [ʔaɐ̯ʃ], [ʔaːʃ]

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Arsch m (strong, genitive Arsches or Arschs, plural Ärsche)

1. (vulgar) arse, posterior, buttocks

   Synonyms: (formal) Gesäß; (slightly informal) Hintern; (slightly informal) Po; (childish) Popo

• In formal settings, Arsch is vulgar and inappropriate; in informal settings (e.g. among friends or family) this is often not the case. Note, however, that Arsch may have a stronger sexual implication than some synonyms, which—in certain contexts—might make the word inappropriate even in very informal settings.

Arsch m or n (strong, genitive Arsches or Arschs, plural Ärsche)

1. (derogatory) arse (mean or despicable person)
   • 2017, Dietmar Wischmeyer, Vorspeisen zum Jüngsten Gericht, Rowohlt e-Book:

     Fällt mir natürlich Heiner, das Arsch, wieder ein, weißt du, was der zu mir gesagt hat, als ich ihn auf den Vorfall mit dem Kaffee angesprochen habe?

     Reminds me of Heiner, of course, that arse, d’you know what he said to me when I mentioned the coffee incident to him?

• “Arsch” in Duden online
• “Arsch” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• Friedrich Kluge (1883) “Arsch”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891