Schelm

See also: schelm

Dutch

Etymology

First attested as een beemd de Schelm genaamd in 1606. Likely cognate with dialectal scheluw (“crooked, askew”).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /sxɛlm/
  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: Schelm
  • Rhymes: -ɛlm
  • Homophone: schelm

Proper noun

Schelm n

  1. A hamlet in Deurne, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands.

References
  • van Berkel, Gerard, Samplonius, Kees (2018) Nederlandse plaatsnamen verklaard (in Dutch), Mijnbestseller.nl, →ISBN

German

Etymology

From Middle High German schelme (“pest, plague; those who have fallen in battle”), Old High German scalmo (“plague”). Cognate with Middle Low German schelm (“carrion, cadaver”), Dutch schelm, Icelandic skelmir (“rogue”).[1]

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ʃɛlm/
  • Audio(file)

Noun

Schelm m (strong, genitive Schelmes or Schelms, plural Schelme, feminine Schelmin)

  1. imp, rogue, prankster
    • 1808, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “Marthens Garten”, in Faust: Der Tragödie erster Teil [Faust, Part One]‎:
      Hab ich vor dem Menschen ein heimlich Grauen, / Und halt ihn für einen Schelm dazu! / Gott verzeih mir's, wenn ich ihm unrecht tu!
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension
Declension of Schelm [masculine, strong]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein der Schelm die Schelme
genitive eines des Schelmes, Schelms der Schelme
dative einem dem Schelm, Schelme1 den Schelmen
accusative einen den Schelm die Schelme

1Now rare, see notes.

Derived terms

Descendants
  • → Polish: szelma
  • → Russian: ше́льма (šélʹma)

References
  1. Friedrich Kluge (1883) “Schelm”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891

Further reading
  • “Schelm” in Duden online
  • “Schelm” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
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