If tracing your German origins requires that you read documents written in German—if you plan to research ones from the 19th-century or earlier it’s a virtual certainty you will—Ernest Thode’s classic dictionary is one book you should own. This book is designed for the family researcher who has little or no knowledge of German but who nevertheless needs to make a translation of German-language documents. The dictionary covers thousands of German terms and defines them in single words or brief phrases. The front of the dictionary also provides examples of German script that will help you decipher German handwriting.
To help convey the scope and detail found in Mr. Thode’s German-English Genealogical Dictionary, we have excerpted below a small portion of words beginning with the letter “A” from p. 4 of the Dictionary. If German documents are in your genealogical future, here’s a book that will pay for itself many times over.
Abschaetzung, Abscbatzung, Abschätzung – appraisal (of property); estimate; assessment
Abschied – farewell; leave-taking; (military) discharge; death
Abschiedsanzeige – notice (posted or in newspaper) of upcoming departure
Abschiedsbrief farewell letter, document giving permission to emigrate; document granting life estate
Abschiedshaus – house on life estate
Abschiedsmann – man retired on life estate
abschiffen – depart (by ship); embark
Abschlusszeugnis, Abschlußzeugnis – certificate of completion
Abschn. – abbr. for Abschnitt
Abschnitt – paragraph; (small) section
Abschoss, Abschoß – emigration tax
Abschrift – (usually handwritten) copy
absens (Lat.) – absent; not present
absit invidia (Lat.) – no offense; no ill will; no grudge; no envy
absit omen (Lat.) – no bad fortune
absolut – absolute(ly)
absolution (Fr.) – absolution; the last rites (of the Catholic church)
Absolutiones dies (Lat.) – Maundy Thursday
Absolutismus – absolutism; absolute rule (by a ruler)
absolutistisch – absolutist; paternalistic; dictatorial
absolvo (Lat.) – I absolve; I acquit
absque (Lat.) – without
absque herede (Lat.) – without heirs
absque hoe (Lat.) – without this
absque prole (Lat.) – without issue (children)
abst. – abbr. for abstammen, mng. “descend (from)”
Abstaemmling – descendant
abstammen – déscend from
Abstämmling – descendant
Abstammung – descent; hereditary; derivation; pedigree
Abstammungskartel – card file of ancestry
Abstammunglinie – ancestral line
Abstammungsurkunde – (official) document of ancestry
abstatten – report; pay (visit)
absterben – die (off)
Absterben – death
Abstiftung – public auction (of a farm)
Abstreiter – renderer; knacker; flayer; roof-uncoverer
abstimmen – vote
Abstimmung – vote; plebiscite
abstrahieren • abstract
Abstreifer – skinner; flayer
Abszæs, Abszeß – abscess
Abt abbot
Abt. – abbr. for Abtei mng. “abbey”;
Abteilung, mng. “division”
Abtei abbey
Abteilung, Abtheilung – department; division; section; apportionment
Äbtissin – abbess
abtreiben – abort
Abtreibung – abortion
Abtnenniger, Abtrünniger – apostate
Abundus – 26 August
Abundus und Irena • 26 August
Abundus und Irenius • 22 August
Aburteilung – trial
abwaerts – elsewhere
abwandern – emigrate
Abwanderung – emigration
abwarnen – warn against
abwärts – elsewhere
Abweichen – diarrhea
abwesend – absent
Abwesenheit – absence
abziehen – emigrate; extract
Abzehrung – consumption; tuberculosis
Abzug – tax (extracted from subjects); departure (from an area); emigration; emigration tax of 10% of net prop«ty
Abzugrechnung • calculation of tax
Abzugspfundzoll • toll (calculated by weight)
Abzugsrecht – right to emigrate
Also by Ernest Thode . . .
