Eisenbahn

German

Etymology

    From Eisen (iron) +‎ Bahn (transport, lane), originally for the iron rails of trains used in mining.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈaɪ̯zənˌbaːn/, [ˈaɪ̯zənˌbaːn], [ˈaɪ̯zn̩ˌbaːn] (Germany)
      • Audio:(file)(Germany)
      • Audio:(file)(Germany)
    • IPA(key): /ˈaɪ̯sɛnˌbaːn/, [ˈaɛ̯-], [-sn̩-], [-z̥n̩-], [-ˌb̥aːn] (Austria, Southern Germany, Switzerland)
    • Hyphenation: Ei‧sen‧bahn

    Noun

    Eisenbahn f (genitive Eisenbahn, plural Eisenbahnen)

    1. railway, railroad (transporting system)
      Synonym: Schienenverkehr
      Die Eisenbahn war die erste moderne Verkehrsrevolution.
      The railway was the first revolution of modern traffic.
    2. (informal, dated) train
      Synonyms: Bahn, Zug
      Da hinten kommt eine Eisenbahn!
      There’s a train approaching over there!

    Declension

    Hyponyms

    • Dampfeisenbahn
    • Holzeisenbahn
    • Liliputeisenbahn
    • Miniatureisenbahn
    • Modelleisenbahn
    • Pferdeeisenbahn
    • Privateisenbahn
    • Spielzeugeisenbahn
    • Werkseisenbahn

    Derived terms

    Descendants

    • Chinese: 鐵路 / 铁路 (tiělù) (calque)
    • Danish: jernbane (calque)
    • Dutch: ijzerbaan (calque)
    • Hungarian: vasút (calque)
    • Italian: ferrovia (calque)
    • Japanese: 鉄道 (calque)
    • Norwegian: jernbane (calque)
    • Pannonian Rusyn: гайзибан (hajziban)
    • Polish: kolej żelazna (calque)
    • Greater Polish: ejzebana

    Further reading