Wabe

German

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle High German wabe, from Old High German waba f, wabo m, from the root of weben (“to weave”). Originally restricted to Upper German, standardized around 1800. A Central German synonym was Roß (Middle High German rāz), compare Dutch raat.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈvaːbə/
  • Audio (Austria):(file)

Noun

Wabe f (genitive Wabe, plural Waben)

  1. (often in the plural) honeycomb

Usage notes

  • The singular refers to a sheet of honeycomb in apiarian parlance, in layman’s use and figuratively also to a single cell:
Jede Wabe besteht aus sechseckigen Zellen. ― Every honeycomb is made up of hexagonal cells.
Jede Wabe ist sechseckig. ― Every honeycomb cell is hexagonal.

Declension

Declension of Wabe [feminine]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative eine die Wabe die Waben
genitive einer der Wabe der Waben
dative einer der Wabe den Waben
accusative eine die Wabe die Waben

Derived terms

Further reading

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