Wäsche

See also: wasche and wäsche

German

Etymology

From Middle High German wesche, from Old High German wesca, from Proto-West Germanic *waski ~ *waskiju (not attested outside High German). Cognate with Luxembourgish Wäsch, Vilamovian weś, etc. With a different stem formation compare Dutch was, Old High German wasca. By surface analysis, waschen (to wash) +‎ -e.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈvɛʃə/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛʃə

Noun

Wäsche f (genitive Wäsche, plural Wäschen)

  1. wash, washing, laundry (the act of cleaning with water; an instance thereof)
    Nach der Wäsche muss ich meine Hemden bügeln.
    After washing I need to iron my shirts.
  2. laundry (clothes that have been or are to be washed)
    Kannst du die Wäsche aus der Maschine holen?
    Could you remove the laundry from the machine?
  3. (by extension) clothes, especially underwear
    Wenn du so viel Bücher einpackst, bleibt gar kein Platz mehr für deine Wäsche.
    If you pack so many books, there won’t be any space left for your clothes.

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

  • Wäsche” in Duden online
  • Wäsche” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache