Vorhaut

German

Etymology

From vor- (“fore-”) +‎ Haut (“skin”), loosely after Latin praeputium. Chiefly spread by Luther (16th c.), but attested once or twice before him. The foreskin was of no special interest to the Germanic peoples and the need for a word arose only in biblical context. Translations were often ad-hoc formations or mere descriptions, though Überwachsung (literally “over-growth”) was somewhat common in the 15th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfoːɐ̯haʊ̯t/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Vorhaut f (genitive Vorhaut, plural Vorhäute, diminutive Vorhäutchen n)

1. (anatomy) foreskin

   Synonym: Präputium (medical parlance only)

Declension

Declension of Vorhaut [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Vorhaut	die	Vorhäute
genitive	einer	der	Vorhaut	der	Vorhäute
dative	einer	der	Vorhaut	den	Vorhäuten
accusative	eine	die	Vorhaut	die	Vorhäute

Derived terms

• Vorhautbändchen
• Vorhautschmiere
• Vorhauttalg
• Vorhautverengung

Further reading

• “Vorhaut” in Duden online