unberufen
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From German unberufen (“let it not be called down on me”).
Interjection[edit]
unberufen
- (dated) Touch wood; knock on wood; an injunction to fate that nothing will go wrong.
- 1883, Rhoda Broughton, Belinda:
- "Unberufen ! " cries Sarah, with a shudder that is not all affectation, " do not mention that accursed name ; I could have sworn that I heard her voice just now !"
- 1904, Ralph Henry Barbour, Kitty of the roses:
- " Unberufen !" he cried. "Unberufen!" she echoed. Then their glances met and they laughed...
- 1905, Anna Chapin Ray, Hamilton Brock Fuller, On the Firing Line[1], EBook edition, Project Gutenberg, published 2009:
- Bending over, Ethel turned back the cloth and thumped on the under side of the table. / "Unberufen and Absit omen," she said hastily. "Don't tempt Providence too far, Captain Frazer. …"
- 1920, Percy Lubbock, editor, The Letters of Henry James:
- And I am working so well (unberufen!) with my admirable Secretary; I shouldn't really dare to ask her to join our little caravan...
German[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
unberufen (strong nominative masculine singular unberufener, not comparable)
Declension[edit]
Positive forms of unberufen (uncomparable)
Interjection[edit]
unberufen
Further reading[edit]
Categories:
- English terms borrowed from German
- English terms derived from German
- English lemmas
- English interjections
- English dated terms
- English terms with quotations
- German terms prefixed with un-
- German 4-syllable words
- German terms with IPA pronunciation
- German terms with audio links
- German lemmas
- German adjectives
- German uncomparable adjectives
- German interjections
- German dated terms