gemein

gemeiner · am gemeinsten
Based on: *mei-, ge-
Adjective
  1. mean (evil)
  2. common
1.

mean (evil)

Opposite: lieb
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Examples
  • Das hast du zu Maria gesagt?! Das war gemein von dir.
  • You said THAT to Maria?! That was mean of you.
  • Practice pronunciation - click once to start recording and again to stop
2.

common

(rarely used by itself, but this idea dominates the related words)
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Word Family

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Sources for Etymology:

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Word of the Day – “gemein”

"gemein" means "mean" in the sense of "bad". But lots of words with "gemein" in them are about community. Today, we'll find out why.

Vocab: gemein, die Gemeinheit, gemeinsam, die Gemeinde, die Gemeinschaft, allgemein, im Allgemeinen

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How many meanings does the German word 'gemein' have?

gemein has 2 distinct meanings: 1. mean (evil), 2. common .

What is the comparative and superlative of 'gemein'?

comparative: gemeiner / superlative: am gemeinsten

What is 'gemein' related to?

The word 'gemein' is related to *mei- and ge-.

Where can I learn more about 'gemein'?

Here are some articles where you can learn more about 'gemein':

Word of the Day – “gemein”
"gemein" means "mean" in the sense of "bad". But lots of words with "gemein" in them are about community. Today, we'll find out why.
Vocab: gemein, die Gemeinheit, gemeinsam, die Gemeinde, die Gemeinschaft, allgemein, im Allgemeinen
Read article