Eltern
noun · /ˈɛltərn/ ·Etymology
From Middle High German eltern, from Old High German eltirōn, from Proto-Germanic *alþizô. Compare Dutch ouders, English elders. The form is equivalent to a nominalised comparative of alt (“old”). The according spelling Ältern was common in Early Modern German, but later went out of fashion. Several sources claim that this was due to incomprehension of the etymology, but that seems implausible given its obviousness. An alternative explanation would be the desire to distinguish between Eltern (“parents”) and die Älteren (“older ones, elders”), which latter was commonly spelt Ältern.
Translation
-
parents
plural, plural-only
Meine Eltern streiten sich dauernd wegen Kleinigkeiten. Das regt mich so auf!
My parents keep arguing about stupid things. It's so annoying!
Meine Eltern würden meinen Bruder verstoßen, wenn sie herausfänden, dass er schwul ist.
My parents would repudiate my brother if they ever found out he was gay.
Jimmy versuchte, seine Eltern dazu zu kriegen, ihn mit seinen Freunden quer durch das Land fahren zu lassen.
Jimmy tried to cajole his parents into letting him drive across the country with his friends.
- parents source:freedict-eng-deu-dictd
- parent source:wikdict-en-de-stardict
- parent source:dictcc-tuchemnitz-de-en
Declension
| Case | Plural |
|---|---|
| Nominative | Eltern |
| Accusative | Eltern |
| Dative | Eltern |
| Genitive | Eltern |