Stolperstein

Meaning

1. (masculine, strong) stumbling block (raised or uneven stone or paving slab over which someone could stumble)
2. (figuratively, masculine, strong) pitfall, obstacle, hindrance, stumbling block
3. (masculine, strong) stolperstein (small, cobblestone-sized memorial for an individual victim of Nazism)

Concepts

stumbling block

stolperstein

Synonyms

Hindernis

Blockade

Bremsklotz

Fallstrick

Hemmnis

Hemmschuh

Hemmung

Hürde

Behinderung

Verderben

Barriere

Stolperfalle

Translations

obstacle

écueil

achoppement

piège

🪤

val

chausse-trappe

escollo

embûche

inciampo

ostacolo

struikelblok

opstructie

opstakel

stolperstein

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈʃtɔlpɐˌʃtaɪ̯n/

Etymology

From stolpern (“to stumble”) + Stein (“stone”). Sense 3 developed in the first decade of the 21st century, applying the figurative sense of "impediment, obstacle" back to literal blocks, though ones that cause passersby to pause and reflect rather than literally stumble.