Féminin

Nelke

Signification

Concepts

(Anglais)

(feminine) clove (aromatic flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum)
(feminine) carnation, pink (Dianthus caryophyllus) (named by analogy for its clove-like smell)

Fréquence

canton de Bâle-Campagne

näägeli

Données fournies par : Deutsch-Schweizerdeutsches Wörterbuch

Prononcé comme (IPA)

[ˈnɛlkə]

Emprunté à Middle Low German

Appartenant à latin

In summary

Borrowed from Middle Low German nēgelke(n) (“little spike, nail”), from Old Saxon nagal (“nail”). Doublet of Nägelchen and Nägelein (archaic). Low German-looking forms are already found in Middle High German negelkīn alongside negelīn; the contraction is first attested in Central German Nelekin. The feminine form in -e is a backformation from the plural. The name is due to the typical form of cloves; compare Latin clāvulus (“clove”), from clāvus (“nail”), of which the German form may be a loan translation.