Schurke
Meaning
villain, scoundrel
Concepts
scoundrell
stinkard
bad person
bad character
suspicious fellow
mean bastard
despicable person
accomplished villain
bad man
Synonyms
Haderlump
Schlufi
Fötzel
Bösling
schlechter Mensch
übler Mensch
gemeiner Kerl
brutaler und verwegener Mensch
schurkischer Held
Lauser
Brigant
schurkisch
böser Mensch
Lausebengel
Frequency
Gender
♂️ Masculine
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈʃʊrkə/
Etymology
Derived from Middle High German schurgen, schürgen (“to shove, push, egg on”) in the 16th century, from Old High German scurgen. This verb is related to (but probably not the direct ancestor of) modern schüren (“to stir, stoke up”); compare Old High German fiurscurio (“villain”, literally “he who stokes up fire”). Middle High German schurgen shows Upper German umlaut blocking in -ur- + consonant. This southern origin also partially explains the hardening of -g- to -k-, though the lack of any g-forms in Schurke is peculiar. The noun moreover has little currency in dialects, north or south.
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Notes