Rinnsal

German

Etymology

From rinnen (“to trickle”) +‎ -sal (abstract noun suffix). Possibly from Proto-Germanic *rannislō and cognate with Icelandic rennsli (“run, leak”).(Can this(+) etymology be sourced? Particularly: “I can't find this in any dictionary, but the meaning and the form fit well.”)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈʁɪnˌzaːl]
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

Rinnsal n (strong, genitive Rinnsales or Rinnsals, plural Rinnsale)

  1. trickle
    Synonyms: Bach, Fluss, Strom
    • 2005, Cornelia Funke, Tintenblut, →ISBN:
      Ein kleines Rinnsal von Bach wand sich zwischen all dem hindurch, zwei Kinder scheuchten ein Schwein von den Beeten und eine Frau mit einem Baby auf dem Arm fütterte eine Schar magerer Hühner.
      A small trickle of a brook meandered through all this, two children scared away a pig from the beds and a woman with a baby on the arm fed a troop of meagre chickens.

Declension

Declension of Rinnsal [neuter, strong]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein das Rinnsal die Rinnsale
genitive eines des Rinnsales, Rinnsals der Rinnsale
dative einem dem Rinnsal, Rinnsale1 den Rinnsalen
accusative ein das Rinnsal die Rinnsale

1Now rare, see notes.

Further reading

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