Wiktionary

Berlin

See also: berlin, Berliin, berlín, Berlín, and Berlîn

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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The location of Berlin within Germany.
 
The Reichstag, the seat of the German parliament, is one of the most recognisable buildings in Berlin.

Etymology

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Etymology tree
German Berlinbor.
English Berlin

    Borrowed from German Berlin.

    Pronunciation

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    (German city and state):

    (US cities and towns, and compounds derived from the German city and state):

    Proper noun

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    Berlin (countable and uncountable, plural Berlins)

    2. The capital and largest city of Germany.
      • 2014 October 30, Ara Merjian, “How World War I gave birth to the modern”, in CNN‎[2], archived from the original on 25 June 2021:
        Ironically enough, it was the anti-war stirrings of Dada that bore out its most immediate influence, first in Switzerland and then post-war Berlin.
      • 2020 April 12, Simon Tisdall, “US's global reputation hits rock-bottom over Trump's coronavirus response”, in The Guardian‎[3], archived from the original on 27 April 2022:
        The furious reaction in Germany after 200,000 protective masks destined for Berlin mysteriously went missing in Thailand and were allegedly redirected to the US is a case in point. There is no solid proof Trump approved the heist. But it’s the sort of thing he would do – or so people believe.
    3. (metonymic) The German government.
      • 2014, Christopher Simpson, “three”, in Mark Crispin Miller, editor, Blowback: America’s Recruitment of Nazis and Its Destructive Impact on Our Domestic and Foreign Policy‎[4], New York: Open Road Media, →ISBN, page 79:
        The practical implication of this decision in the world of 1948 is clear: The United States would indeed support the veterans of the Vlasov Army, the eastern SS collaborators, and other groups that had permitted themselves to become pawns of Berlin during the war.
    4. A state of Germany containing the capital city.
    5. A surname from German.
      • 2004 October 24, Bill Gladstone, “The oldest family in the world”, in Jewish Telegraphic Agency‎[5], archived from the original on 17 May 2025:
        The family tree boasts an astonishing array of celebrated historical figures from the prophet Isaiah to Sir Isaiah Berlin, from Felix Mendelssohn to Karl Marx and Moses Montefiore. The list also includes Yehudi Menuhin, Helena Rubinstein, the Rothschilds and even Rosenstein himself.
    6. A female given name from German.
    7. A civil parish of the municipality of Seedorf, Segeberg district, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
    8. The former name of Kitchener, a city in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
    9. A village in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia.
    10. A small town in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa.
    11. A place in the United States.
      1. The former name of Genevra, an unincorporated community in Colusa County, California, United States.
      3. A town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States.
      4. A small city in Colquitt County, Georgia, United States.
      5. A village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States.
      6. A ghost town in Johnson Township, Clinton County, Indiana, United States.
      7. An unincorporated community in Bourbon County, Kansas, United States.
      8. An unincorporated community in Bracken County, Kentucky, United States.
      10. A town in Worcester County, Maryland, United States.
      12. A town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States.
      13. A town in Worcester County, Mississippi, United States.
      14. The former name of Marne, an unincorporated community in Ottawa County, Michigan, United States.
      15. The former name of Otoe, a village in Otoe County, Nebraska, United States.
      16. A ghost town in Nye County, Nevada, United States.
      18. A city in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States.
      20. A borough of Camden County, New Jersey, United States.
      21. A town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States.
      22. A tiny city in LaMoure County, North Dakota, United States.
      23. An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Berlin Township, Holmes County, Ohio, United States.
      24. An unincorporated community in Florence Township, Williams County, Ohio, United States.
      25. A borough of Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States.
      26. An unincorporated community in Marshall County, Tennessee, United States.
      27. An unincorporated community in Washington County, Texas, United States.
      29. A town in Washington County, Vermont, United States.
      30. An unincorporated community in Lewis County, West Virginia, United States.
      32. A city in Green Lake County and Waushara County, Wisconsin, United States.
      33. A town in Green Lake County, Wisconsin, United States, mostly surrounding the city of the same name.
      34. A town in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States.
    12. Ellipsis of Berlin Township.

    Derived terms

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    Translations

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    See also

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    Divisions of the Federal Republic of Germany in English (layout · text)
    Area states: Baden-Württemberg · Bavaria · Brandenburg · Hesse · Lower Saxony · Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania · North Rhine-Westphalia · Rhineland-Palatinate · Saarland · Saxony · Saxony-Anhalt · Schleswig-Holstein · Thuringia
    City states: Berlin · Bremen · Hamburg

    Noun

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    Berlin (countable and uncountable, plural Berlins)

    1. Short for Berlin worsted
      • 1812, Parliamentary Papers, Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons, page 96:
        Are you not aware that the single worsted that Berlin is made of, is very different from that that is made into stockings?
      • 1843, Handbook for Travellers in Central Italy, page 5:
        Berlin and other kinds of Lamb's Wool and Worsted of the finest colours and in the brightest shades; […]
      • 1912, United States. Tariff Board, Wool and Manufactures of Wool (page 71)
        Fine mixed "Berlins" shoddy

    Derived terms

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    References

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    Central Franconian

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    Proper noun

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    Berlin n

    1. Berlin
      • 1909, Heinrich Koch, Kölsche Verzällcher. II. Bändchen, Köln, p. 38:
        Der ganze Dag hat se mem Annche gesprov, un dat Vüggelche hatt esu staats gesunge, dat ald Mutter un Doochter üvverlaht hatte, ov de Huhzicksreis no Berlin ov no Italie gemaht sollt wähde.
        (please add an English translation of this quotation)
      • 2007, das kölsche liedbuch, (Lund Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Köln), p. 32, song Hey Kölle! Do bes e Jeföhl:
        Ich han die Städte der Welt jesin,
        ich wor in Rio, in New York un Berlin!
        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

    Central Nahuatl

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    Proper noun

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    Berlin

    1. Berlin (the capital city of Germany)

    Danish

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    Pronunciation

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    Proper noun

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    Berlin

    1. Berlin (the capital and largest city of Germany)
    2. Berlin (a state of Germany, containing the capital city)

    Faroese

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    Faroese Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia fo

    Proper noun

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    Berlin m

    1. Berlin (the capital of Germany)

    French

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    French Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia fr

    Pronunciation

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    Proper noun

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    Berlin m

    1. Berlin (the capital and largest city of Germany)
    2. Berlin (a state of Germany, containing the capital city)

    Derived terms

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    Descendants

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    • → Vietnamese: Béc-lanh
    • → Persian: برلن (berlan)

    See also

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    Divisions of the Federal Republic of Germany in French (layout · text)
    États de la zone: Bade-Wurtemberg · Bavière · Brandebourg · Hesse · Basse-Saxe · Mecklembourg-Poméranie-Occidentale · Rhénanie-du-Nord-Westphalie · Rhénanie-Palatinat · Sarre · Saxe · Saxe-Anhalt · Schleswig-Holstein · Thuringe
    cités-États: Berlin · Brême · Hambourg

    German

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    German Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia de
     
    Lage von Berlin in Deutschland
     
    The oldest seal of the city, from 1253, bears the inscription [SI]GILLVM DE BERLIN BURG[EN]S[IUM] ("seal of the burghers of Berlin").

    Alternative forms

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    Etymology

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    The place is first mentioned by this name in the late 12th century (as Middle Low German Berlyn).

    The origin is unknown. Slavic by the suffix -in.

    According to (incorrect) folk etymology, the name is derived from the Bär (“bear”) that is the symbol of the city.

    In a popular etymology of Germanists, it is derived from a Polabian stem *berl- ~ *birl- (“swamp”), for which lexical item there is no evidence in Polabian nor in any Slavic language. Closest to that would be an unknown simpler relative of *bьrlogъ (“cave”).

    Attested vocabulary is Polabian poro (“swamp, bog”). *bělь also meant a “swampy meadow” or “white field”, which fits the location at the märkische Streusandbüchse, the “Margraviate pounce box” notorious for its sandy soil, and is also the noun behind Belitz.

    Pronunciation

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    Proper noun

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    Berlin n (proper noun, genitive Berlins or (optionally with an article) Berlin, plural Berlin)

    1. Berlin (the capital and largest city and state of Germany)
      • 1800, Johann Paul Friedrich Richter, (Please provide the book title or journal name):
        Berlin ist mehr ein Weltteil als eine Stadt.
        Berlin is more a part of a world than a city.
      • 1910, Karl Scheffler, author of Berlin: Ein Stadtschicksal:
        Berlin ist eine Stadt, verdammt dazu, ewig zu werden, niemals zu sein.
        Berlin is a city damned forever to become, never to be.
    2. (metonymic) Berlin (federal government of Germany)

    Meronyms

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    Derived terms

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    Descendants

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    See also

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    Divisions of the Federal Republic of Germany in German (layout · text)
    Flächenländer: Baden-Württemberg · Bayern · Brandenburg · Hessen · Niedersachsen · Mecklenburg-Vorpommern · Nordrhein-Westfalen · Rheinland-Pfalz · Saarland · Sachsen · Sachsen-Anhalt · Schleswig-Holstein · Thüringen
    Stadtstaaten: Berlin · Bremen · Hamburg

    References

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    1. ^ “Peter Schlobinski: Zur r-Vokalisierung im Berlinischen. — Archived copy”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎[1], 5 February 2016 (last accessed), archived from the original on 5 July 2017

    Hungarian

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     Berlin on Hungarian Wikipedia

    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): [ˈbɛrlin]
    • Hyphenation: Ber‧lin
    • Rhymes: -in

    Proper noun

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    Berlin

    1. Berlin (the capital and largest city of Germany)
    2. Berlin (a state of Germany, containing the capital city)

    Declension

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    Inflection (stem in -e-, front unrounded harmony)
    singular plural
    nominative Berlin —
    accusative Berlint —
    dative Berlinnek —
    instrumental Berlinnel —
    causal-final Berlinért —
    translative Berlinné —
    terminative Berlinig —
    essive-formal Berlinként —
    essive-modal — —
    inessive Berlinben —
    superessive Berlinen —
    adessive Berlinnél —
    illative Berlinbe —
    sublative Berlinre —
    allative Berlinhez —
    elative Berlinből —
    delative Berlinről —
    ablative Berlintől —
    non-attributive
    possessive – singular     		Berliné —
    non-attributive
    possessive – plural     		Berlinéi —
    Possessive forms of Berlin
    possessor single possession multiple possessions
    1st person sing. Berlinem —
    2nd person sing. Berlined —
    3rd person sing. Berlinje —
    1st person plural Berlinünk —
    2nd person plural Berlinetek —
    3rd person plural Berlinjük —

    Derived terms

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    Norwegian Bokmål

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    Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia no

    Proper noun

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    Berlin

    1. Berlin (the capital and largest city of Germany)
    2. Berlin (a state of Germany, containing the capital city)

    Norwegian Nynorsk

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    Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia nn

    Proper noun

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    Berlin

    1. Berlin (the capital and largest city of Germany)
    2. Berlin (a state of Germany, containing the capital city)

    Polish

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    Pronunciation

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    Proper noun

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    Berlin m inan (related adjective berliński)

    1. Berlin (the capital and largest city of Germany)
    2. Berlin (a state of Germany, containing the capital city)

    Declension

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    Declension of Berlin
    singular
    nominative Berlin
    genitive Berlina
    dative Berlinowi
    accusative Berlin
    instrumental Berlinem
    locative Berlinie
    vocative Berlinie

    Derived terms

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    nouns

    See also

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    Divisions of the Federal Republic of Germany in Polish (layout · text)
    Area states: Badenia-Wirtembergia · Bawaria · Brandenburgia · Hesja · Dolna Saksonia · Meklemburgia-Pomorze Przednie · Nadrenia Północna-Westfalia · Nadrenia-Palatynat · Saara · Saksonia · Saksonia-Anhalt · Szlezwik-Holsztyn · Turyngia
    City states: Berlin · Brema · Hamburg

    Further reading

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    • “Berlin”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎[6] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
    • “Berlin”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎[7] (in Polish)

    Portuguese

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    Proper noun

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    Berlin f

    1. alternative form of Berlim

    Romanian

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    Pronunciation

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    Proper noun

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    Berlin n

    1. Berlin (the capital and largest city of Germany)
    2. Berlin (a state of Germany, containing the capital city)

    Declension

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    singular only indefinite definite
    nominative-accusative Berlin Berlinul
    genitive-dative Berlin Berlinului
    vocative Berlinule

    Derived terms

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    Serbo-Croatian

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    Serbo-Croatian Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia sh

    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): /běrliːn/
    • Hyphenation: Ber‧lin

    Proper noun

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    Bèrlīn m inan (Cyrillic spelling Бѐрлӣн)

    1. Berlin (the capital and largest city of Germany)
    2. Berlin (a state of Germany, containing the capital city)

    Declension

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    Declension of Berlin
    singular
    nominative Bèrlīn
    genitive Berlína
    dative Berlinu
    accusative Berlin
    vocative Berline
    locative Berlinu
    instrumental Berlinom

    Slovene

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    Slovene Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia sl

    Pronunciation

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    Proper noun

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    Berlín m inan

    1. Berlin (the capital and largest city of Germany)
    2. Berlin (a state of Germany, containing the capital city)

    Declension

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    		 The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.
    Masculine inan., hard o-stem
    nominative Berlín
    genitive Berlína
    singular
    nominative
    (imenovȃlnik)     		Berlín
    genitive
    (rodȋlnik)     		Berlína
    dative
    (dajȃlnik)     		Berlínu
    accusative
    (tožȋlnik)     		Berlín
    locative
    (mẹ̑stnik)     		Berlínu
    instrumental
    (orọ̑dnik)     		Berlínom

    Derived terms

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    References

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    • “Berlin”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran
    • “Berlin”, in Termania, Amebis
    • See also the general references

    Swedish

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    Swedish Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia sv

    Pronunciation

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    Proper noun

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    Berlin n (genitive Berlins)

    1. Berlin (the capital and largest city of Germany)
    2. Berlin (a state of Germany, containing the capital city)

    References

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    Tatar

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    Proper noun

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    Berlin

    1. Berlin (the capital and largest city of Germany)
    2. Berlin (a state of Germany, containing the capital city)

    Declension

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    Declension of Berlin
    nominative Berlin
    genitive Berlinnıñ
    dative Berlinga
    accusative Berlinnı
    locative Berlinda
    ablative Berlindan

    Turkish

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    Etymology

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    Inherited from Ottoman Turkish برلین (berlin), itself from German Berlin.

    Proper noun

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    Berlin

    1. Berlin (the capital and largest city of Germany)
    2. Berlin (a state of Germany, containing the capital city)

    Welsh

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    Welsh Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia cy

    Pronunciation

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    Proper noun

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    Berlin f (not mutable)

    1. Berlin (the capital city of Germany)
    Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Berlin&oldid=90535321"