Thursday, July 28, 2011

echt



echt [ɛçt] a.

1.) Real; genuine.

echt adv.

1.) Really; genuinely (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language).

Etymology: German, from Middle High German, from Middle Low German echte; akin to Old High German eohaft, customary.

"Nevertheless, as we have seen, 'like the false Chelm, the echt Chelm also has its undertow of absurdity'...due to the hypertrophied textuality of diasporic Jewry. The echt Chelm is the wandering 'place' of Jewish linguistic lore, and is as much an attitude toward discourse as a canon or bound body of specific works." (The Ritual of New Creation: Jewish Tradition and Contemporary Literature, Norman Finkelstein, 1992).

(Der Watzmann, Caspar David Friedrich, 1825)

31 comments:

Unknown said...

From just looking at the word I suspected it to be from German origin.

I'm interested in the quote as well. Something about Religion and religious belief fascinates me.

Shahan said...

Never heard this word before, sounds kinda strange =3

Bibi said...

Haha, I saw the title of this post and I was like: "echt?" Because 'echt' is also Dutch for 'real', and 'really' :p I never would've thought this word was used in English.

D4 said...

I'm still not quite sure how to use this one.. Maybe my mind is a little fried today.

ivy said...

I want to use that word more.

Zombie said...

That almost sounds like a cuss word. :P

i_love_weed said...

ha i already knew what that one meant before i read the description

Unknown said...

This word is an echt esoteric word.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I immediately thought in a German root.

Kevin Faulkner said...

Hi E ! you really are a prolific blogger. Short and sweet is pretty neat. I placed your comment here to it's home. Love your pictures, Friedrich is a great Romantic painter. Easy one today for any one with interest in German culture. Ersatz anyone ?

re your comment Arcades ambo: yeah, the source was a later compilation of earlier translations (i probably should have cited the editor as well). book vii line 4 is where it occurs. thanks for keeping me honest!

Jenny Woolf said...

I've always thought "echt" is a rather cool word to use. You can imagine people working it into snappy aphorisms. (Not that I have ever come across any ). I like the picture with its many peaks.

Magixx said...

I love the fascinating mountain picture, makes me feel so relaxing!

Curl Jung said...

It does sound like a cuss word=D

BTW, thank you so much for following my blog=D

Triper said...

Cool explanation!

Once Upon A Time... said...

re your comment: even though we accept almost everything, not everyone has the same mentality and obviously...some people are just nonsense, no better way to explain it.

having studied the german language for a couple of years, i could easily guess this words' origin. Cool!

jos xx

GMSoccerPicks said...

Its nice to lear this new stuff. But i would probably get smacked if i started using those words hahaha

Mai Yang said...

I think I heard this from a friend :)

gman said...

ah another healthy addition to my vocabulary, thank you very much -E-

Viitoebe said...

this one sounds funny

Leeann @ Join the Gossip said...

I love learning new words - thanks!

Meri said...

there are certain words that are jut fun to say. This is now in that repertoire for me :)

nowaysj said...

Yesterday was a very echt day. Both in its actual and imagined meaning.

poorfags said...

Sounds all guttural and shit.

Nicole Linette said...

I like the concept of your blog! However, this word is more akin to a choking noise; something that does not need to be admitted into my vocabulary.

Cheers,
nicole.

Once Upon A Time... said...

re your comment: in fact you did piss me off, but you mentioned "europeans" in general, i only know what happens on my island, therefore i tried to be polite in commenting :p You like being sarcastic don't you? At least that's how i perceive your comments. btw, i arranged the mistake you corrected.

on a more serious note, can i ask you, how long should be your thesis? (no. of words i mean?)

jos xx

Anonymous said...

Your blog is quite echt.

Once Upon A Time... said...

lol, next time i won't. here, an MA thesis should be at least 50,000 words which is far too long! and i'm realising that my comments are the longest!

jos xx

Diego Sousa said...

the pic is awesome!

That Blond Guy said...

The guy saying it in the pronunciation guide sounds like he's coughing up a hairball.

Shutterbug said...

Keep it echt! :D

A Beer for the Shower said...

A damn fine word, sir. For some reason, I'm partial to the short ones.

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