immer

English

Etymology

From Icelandic himbrimi (“surf roarer”).

Noun

immer (plural immers)

1. A bird in genus Gavia.

Derived terms

• Gavia immer

References

• immer on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Gavia immer on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Gavia immer on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch immer (“always”), from Old Dutch iomer (“always”). From ie (“always”) +‎ meer (“more”). Related to ieder, iemand, iets, ooit. Cognate with German immer, German Low German ümmer, jümmer, jümmers.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪmər

Adverb

immer

1. (formal) always

   Synonyms: altijd, altoos

   Hij is immer beleefd tegen iedereen.

   He is always polite to everyone.

   Het museum is immer geopend, zelfs op feestdagen.

   The museum is open always, even on holidays.

Derived terms

• immers

See also

• eeuwig
• voorgoed

German

Etymology

From Middle High German immer (also iemer, imer), from Old High German iomēr (“always”). From io (“always”) +‎ mēr (“more”). Cognate with Dutch immer, German Low German ümmer, jümmer, jümmers, Middle English a mare, aa mare (“evermore”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪmɐ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Austria):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪmɐ

Adverb

immer

1. always
   1. at all times without exception

      Irgendwo scheint immer die Sonne.

      The sun is always shining somewhere.

   2. very often; all the time; constantly

      Er will immer nur fernsehen.

      He just wants to watch telly all the time.

   3. every time; whenever some precondition is given

      Er erzählt immer dieselbe Geschichte.

      He always tells that same story.

2. (with comparative) to a greater degree over time, more and more

   Es wird immer kälter. ― It's getting colder and colder.

3. (colloquial, unstressed) used to emphasize another adverb of time, which itself is stressed

   Er kommt immer nie pünktlich. ― He’s never on time.

   Ich bin oft immer sehr vergesslich. ― I’m often very forgetful.

   Manchmal hab ich immer das Gefühl, dass... ― Sometimes I get the feeling that...

Synonyms

• (at all times): stets (but somewhat uncommon in this sense); allzeit (dated, poetic)
• (very often): stets (formal); dauernd; ständig; immerzu
• (every time): stets (formal); jedes Mal

Derived terms

• immer gleich
• immer noch
• immer wieder
• immer wenn

See also

• meistens
• manchmal
• selten
• nie
• ewig

Further reading

• “immer” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• Friedrich Kluge (1883) “immer”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891

German Low German

Alternative forms

• ümmer, jümmer, jümmers (der neue Sass)

Etymology

From Middle Low German immer, imber, iemmer, jummer, iemer, imer, from Old Saxon iomēr, eomēr, equivalent to je +‎ mehr.

Adverb

immer

1. always; forever

Synonyms

• alltied (cognate with German: allzeit, allezeit)

References

• Der neue SASS: Plattdeutsches Wörterbuch, Plattdeutsch - Hochdeutsch, Hochdeutsch - Plattdeutsch. Plattdeutsche Rechtschreibung, sixth revised edition (2011, →ISBN, Wachholtz Verlag, Neumünster)

Hunsrik

Etymology

From Middle High German immer, iemer, imer, from Old High German iomēr (“always”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *aiwaz (“long time”) + *maiz (“more”). Related to Dutch immer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈimɐ/

Adverb

immer

1. always

   Du machst das immer.

   You always do that.

   Es is immer so.

   It's always like this.

   Sie nemmd immer eere grose Tasch mit.

   She always takes her big purse with her.

Further reading

• Online Hunsrik Dictionary

Middle Dutch

Adverb

immer

1. Alternative form of emmer

Yao (South America)

Noun

immer

1. mother

Usage notes

Kinship terminology in Cariban languages functions very differently from that in Indo-European languages. For this reason, it is unclear if the recorded meaning of this word ‘mother’ accurately reflects the meaning in the original language.

Further reading

• de Laet, Johannes (1633) Novus orbis seu descriptionis Indiæ occidentalis, Libri XVIII, page 642