Tross

German

Alternative forms

• Troß (superseded)

Etymology

Inherited from Middle High German trosse (“baggage”), from Old French trosse, trousse (“package, bundle”). The semantic development from “baggage” to “those who move the baggage” occurred around 1500. Cognate with English truss, which see.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʁɔs/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔs
• Hyphenation: Tross

Noun

Tross m (strong, genitive Trosses, plural Trosse)

1. (military) baggage train (a unit’s supply vehicles and the troops resonsible for them)

   Coordinate terms: Instandsetzungsstaffel, Kampfstaffel, Stab, Versorgungsstaffel

   • 1960, Otto Carius, Tiger im Schlamm, 9th revised edition, Saarbrücken, published 2021, page 74:

     Zuerst kam bei ihm die Kampfstaffel, dann die I-Truppe, dann die Versorgungsstaffel und dann der Troß.

     The combat squad came first for him, then the maintenance squad, then the logistics squad, and finally the baggage train.

2. (figurative) group or column of people moving somewhere

   Synonyms: Zug, Treck

3. (especially) entourage, escort, group of accompanying associates

   Synonyms: Gefolge, Hofstaat, Begleitzug, Eskorte

Declension

Declension of Tross [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Tross	die	Trosse
genitive	eines	des	Trosses	der	Trosse
dative	einem	dem	Tross, Trosse1	den	Trossen
accusative	einen	den	Tross	die	Trosse

¹Now rare, see notes.

Further reading

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