genug

German

Alternative forms

• genung, gnung (archaic, dialectal)

Etymology

From Middle High German genuoc, from Old High German ginuog, from Proto-West Germanic *ganōg, from Proto-Germanic *ganōgaz. Cognate with Dutch genoeg, Low German noog, English enough, West Frisian genôch, Danish nok, Swedish nog. The Proto-Germanic word is a compound of the prefix *ga- + unreflexed *nōgaz. The latter is derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eh₂nóḱe (“to reach, achieve, carry out”), a form of *h₂neḱ-.

Further Indo-European cognates: Latin nancīscor (“to get, to obtain”), Slovene nesti (“to carry”), Albanian kënaq (“to satisfy”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡəˈnuːk/ (standard)
• IPA^(key): /ɡəˈnʊx/ (northern and central Germany; now chiefly colloquial)

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːk

Determiner

genug

1. (invariable) enough, sufficient, an adequate number or amount of

   Wir haben nicht genug Geld.

   We don't have enough money.

Usage notes

• Genug can never follow an article or another determiner. Moreover, it is commonly used after the referent for emphasis: Die haben Geld genug! (“They have money enough!”)

Pronoun

genug

1. (invariable) enough, an adequate number or amount

   Das ist genug.

   That's enough.

Usage notes

• Genug can be followed and preceded by a genitive as in genug der Worte, rarer der Worte genug.

Adverb

genug

1. enough, sufficiently, in an adequate way

   Die Kinder haben genug gespielt.

   The children have played enough.

   Das Zimmer ist groß genug.

   The room is big enough.

Adjective

genug (strong nominative masculine singular genuger, not comparable)

1. (colloquial) enough, sufficient, in an adequate way

Usage notes

• In colloquial German, genug can be declined in expressions like: ein groß genuges Zimmer (“a big enough room”). When used as an adjective, genug must follow another adjective, similar to its use as an adverb. In the standard language proper, ausreichend will be used instead, which precedes the adjective: ein ausreichend großes Zimmer (“a sufficiently big room”).

Declension

Positive forms of genug (uncomparable)

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist genug	sie ist genug	es ist genug	sie sind genug
strong declension (without article)	nominative	genuger	genuge	genuges	genuge
	genitive	genugen	genuger	genugen	genuger
	dative	genugem	genuger	genugem	genugen
	accusative	genugen	genuge	genuges	genuge
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der genuge	die genuge	das genuge	die genugen
	genitive	des genugen	der genugen	des genugen	der genugen
	dative	dem genugen	der genugen	dem genugen	den genugen
	accusative	den genugen	die genuge	das genuge	die genugen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein genuger	eine genuge	ein genuges	(keine) genugen
	genitive	eines genugen	einer genugen	eines genugen	(keiner) genugen
	dative	einem genugen	einer genugen	einem genugen	(keinen) genugen
	accusative	einen genugen	eine genuge	ein genuges	(keine) genugen

Interjection

genug!

1. enough!

   Genug! Hör auf mit diesem Unsinn! ― Enough! Quit this nonsense!

Synonyms

• (enough, sufficient): genügend, ausreichend, adequat

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “enough, sufficient”): ungenügend, unzureichend, inadequat

Derived terms

Derived terms

• Genüge f
• genügen
• genügend
• genügsam
• Genugtuung f

Further reading

• “genug” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• Friedrich Kluge (1883) “genug”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891
• “genug” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.