geheuer

German

Etymology

From Middle High German gehiure (pleasant, gentle), from Old High German hiuri (friendly, lovely), from a suffixed form of or otherwise related to Proto-West Germanic *hīw (marriage).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡəˈhɔʏ̯ɐ/
  • Hyphenation: ge‧heu‧er
  • Audio:(file)

Adjective

geheuer (strong nominative masculine singular geheuerer, not comparable)

  1. (chiefly in the negative) pleasant, comfortable, sure
    mir war nicht ganz geheuerI was not at all sure
    Bei dem Gedanken an die bevorstehende Prüfung war ihm nicht recht geheuer.
    He was not at all comfortable thinking about the coming exam.

Usage notes

In modern usage, this word is always negated. The expression nicht (ganz) geheuer means ‘creepy, fishy, scary, causing uneasiness’, etc.

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading