Erdmännchen

German

Etymology

From Erde (“earth, ground”) +‎ Männchen (“little man”). The original sense is that of a gnome, though the word was also used metaphorically or jocularly for animals in some dialects, e.g. for the mole. The use for “meerkat” has only become established in scientific use since the 1960s, but is older in Namibian German, where it also referred to the similar-looking Cape ground squirrel (Xerus inauris). Plausibly from Afrikaans erdmannetjie, which is equally used (informally) for these two species.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈeːrtˌmɛn.çən/, [ˈʔeːɐ̯tˌmɛn.çən], [ˈʔɛɐ̯t-], [-çn̩], [-çɪn]

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Noun

Erdmännchen n (strong, genitive Erdmännchens, plural Erdmännchen)

1. (zoology) meerkat (Suricata suricatta)

   Synonyms: Surikate, Scharrtier (at least the latter archaic)

2. (mythology, dated) a gnome or dwarf that lives under the earth

   Synonyms: Erdgeist, Heinzelmännchen, Wichtel, Zwerg

Declension

Declension of Erdmännchen [neuter, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	Erdmännchen	die	Erdmännchen
genitive	eines	des	Erdmännchens	der	Erdmännchen
dative	einem	dem	Erdmännchen	den	Erdmännchen
accusative	ein	das	Erdmännchen	die	Erdmännchen

Further reading

• “Erdmännchen” in Duden online