Mittelstand
German
Etymology
From mittel- (“middle, central”) + Stand (“stand(ing), position, estate”); perfectly parallel to cognate Dutch middenstand.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmɪtl̩ˌʃtant/
Audio (file)
Noun
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
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
- mittelständisch (adjective)
- Mittelständler m
Related terms
- Arbeiterstand
- Mittelstadt
See also
Further reading
- “Mittelstand” in Duden online
- “Mittelstand” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
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