Bernstein

English

Alternative forms

• (transliteration): Bernshteyn

Etymology

Borrowed from German Bernstein.

Proper noun

Bernstein (plural Bernsteins)

1. A surname from German.
2. A transliteration of the Russian surname Бернштейн (Bernštejn).

Translations

German surname

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 伯恩斯坦 (Bóēnsītǎn)

• French: Bernstein (fr)
• German: Bernstein (de)
• Hungarian: Bernstein (hu)
• Marathi: बर्नस्टाइन (barnsṭāin)
• Portuguese: Bernstein

French

Etymology

Borrowed from German Bernstein.

Proper noun

Bernstein m or f by sense

1. a surname from German
2. A transliteration of the Russian surname Бернштейн (Bernštejn).

Further reading

• filae.com
• Forebears (French)

German

Bernstein

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛrnˌʃtaɪ̯n/, [ˈbɛɐ̯nˌʃtaɪ̯n], [ˈbɛʁn-]

• Audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle Low German bernstein, barnstēn. Pertaining to brennen (“to burn”) with Low German metathesis of -r- (compare bersten, Born).

Cognate with English brimstone and Old Norse brennisteinn. The word was borrowed from Middle Low German into several Scandinavian and Slavic languages.

Noun

Bernstein m (strong, genitive Bernsteines or Bernsteins, plural Bernsteine)

1. (usually uncountable) amber

Declension

Declension of Bernstein [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Bernstein	die	Bernsteine
genitive	eines	des	Bernsteines, Bernsteins	der	Bernsteine
dative	einem	dem	Bernstein, Bernsteine1	den	Bernsteinen
accusative	einen	den	Bernstein	die	Bernsteine

¹Now rare, see notes.

Derived terms

• bernsteinern
• Bernsteinzimmer

Etymology 2

In some cases from etymology 1, in others probably from Bär (“bear”) +‎ Stein or perhaps yet other words. Also compare Barenstein , Berenstein and Bärenstein.

Proper noun

Bernstein n (proper noun, genitive Bernsteins or (optionally with an article) Bernstein)

1. A municipality of Burgenland, Austria
2. (chiefly historical) a town in Pomerania, now Pełczyce, Poland

Declension

Declension of Bernstein [sg-only, neuter, toponym]

	singular
	def.	noun
nominative	das	Bernstein
genitive	des	Bernsteins, Bernstein1
dative	dem	Bernstein
accusative	das	Bernstein

¹Optionally with an article.

Derived terms

• Bernsteiner
  • Bernsteinerin

Proper noun

Bernstein m or f (proper noun, strong, genitive Bernsteins or (with an article) Bernstein, plural Bernsteins or Bernstein)

1. a surname

Declension

Declension of Bernstein [masculine // feminine, surname]

	singular						plural
	masculine			feminine
	indef.	def.	noun	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	(ein)	(der)	Bernstein	(eine)	(die)	Bernstein	(die)	Bernsteins
genitive	(eines)	(des)	Bernsteins, Bernstein1	(einer)	(der)	Bernstein	(der)	Bernsteins
dative	(einem)	(dem)	Bernstein	(einer)	(der)	Bernstein	(den)	Bernsteins
accusative	(einen)	(den)	Bernstein	(eine)	(die)	Bernstein	(die)	Bernsteins

¹With an article.

Descendants

• → English: Bernstein
• → French: Bernstein
• → Hungarian: Bernstein
• → Chinese: → 伯恩斯坦 (Bó'ēnsītǎn) (transliteration)

Further reading

• “Bernstein” in Duden online
• “Bernstein” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• Friedrich Kluge (1989) “Bernstein”, in Elmar Seebold, editor, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache [Etymological Dictionary of the German Language] (in German), 22nd edition, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 76
• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Bernstein”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 1, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 146.

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbɛrnʃtɛjn]
• Hyphenation: Berns‧tein
• Rhymes: -ɛjn

Proper noun

Bernstein

1. a surname

Declension

Inflection (stem in -e-, front unrounded harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	Bernstein	Bernsteinek
accusative	Bernsteint	Bernsteineket
dative	Bernsteinnek	Bernsteineknek
instrumental	Bernsteinnel	Bernsteinekkel
causal-final	Bernsteinért	Bernsteinekért
translative	Bernsteinné	Bernsteinekké
terminative	Bernsteinig	Bernsteinekig
essive-formal	Bernsteinként	Bernsteinekként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	Bernsteinben	Bernsteinekben
superessive	Bernsteinen	Bernsteineken
adessive	Bernsteinnél	Bernsteineknél
illative	Bernsteinbe	Bernsteinekbe
sublative	Bernsteinre	Bernsteinekre
allative	Bernsteinhez	Bernsteinekhez
elative	Bernsteinből	Bernsteinekből
delative	Bernsteinről	Bernsteinekről
ablative	Bernsteintől	Bernsteinektől
non-attributive possessive - singular	Bernsteiné	Bernsteineké
non-attributive possessive - plural	Bernsteinéi	Bernsteinekéi

Possessive forms of Bernstein
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	Bernsteinem	Bernsteinjeim
2nd person sing.	Bernsteined	Bernsteinjeid
3rd person sing.	Bernsteinje	Bernsteinjei
1st person plural	Bernsteinünk	Bernsteinjeink
2nd person plural	Bernsteinetek	Bernsteinjeitek
3rd person plural	Bernsteinjük	Bernsteinjeik

Derived terms

• bernsteini
• bernsteinizmus

References

• Laczkó, Krisztina with Attila Mártonfi (2006) Helyesírás [Orthography], Budapest: Osiris Kiadó, →ISBN