Bienenstich

German

Etymology

Biene (“bee”) +‎ Stich (“sting”). Its origin is unclear. Various theories have been proposed. The most common theories are:

• Stich could also mean "stocked up mass". Compare Eierstich.
• According to folk etymology, in 1474 the citizens of the city Linz am Rhein planned an attack on its neighboring city Andernach because its most imported source of income, collecting tariffs for the transportation of goods on the Rhine river, was revoked by the emperor and granted to its neighboring town. In the next morning, two baker apprentices from Andernach named Fränzje and Döres walked along the city wall and ate from the beehives. As soon as they saw the attackers, they threw the beehives at them. Stung by the bees, the attackers from Linz were forced to retreat. To commemorate this event, they baked a special cake which they called Bienenstich.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbiːnənˌʃtɪç/

• Audio:

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• Audio (Austria):

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• Hyphenation: Bie‧nen‧stich

Noun

Bienenstich m (strong, genitive Bienenstichs or Bienenstiches, plural Bienenstiche)

1. bee sting
2. type of flat cake, filled with custard or cream and coated with almonds and sugar

Declension

Declension of Bienenstich [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Bienenstich	die	Bienenstiche
genitive	eines	des	Bienenstichs, Bienenstiches	der	Bienenstiche
dative	einem	dem	Bienenstich, Bienenstiche1	den	Bienenstichen
accusative	einen	den	Bienenstich	die	Bienenstiche

¹Now rare, see notes.

Related terms

• Bienenstachel, Bienenkorb, Honigbiene
• Kupferstich, Wespenstich

References

• “Bienenstich” in Duden online
• “Bienenstich” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache