heikel
Meaning
- delicate (requiring careful handling)
- (Austria) picky, choosy
Concepts
hard to say
hesitant to say
Synonyms
nicht salonfähig
problembehaftet
taktvoll
überempfindlich
zartfühlend
vielschichtig
nicht geheuer
schwer zu sagen
schwer verständlich
nicht ganz ohne
kein Zuckerschlecken
nicht ohne
mit Mühe verbunden
mit Unannehmlichkeiten verbunden
verhatscht
vigelinsch
tricky
kein Zuckerlecken
nicht unbedenklich
nicht stubenrein
schamverletzend
nicht einfach
Frequency
Dialects
Aargau
sälzig
Aargau
sämper
Basel-Landschaft
bränselig
Basel-Landschaft
bränzelig
Basel-Landschaft
difisyyl
St. Gallen
hòarkìl
Zürich
heikel
Data provided by: Deutsch-Schweizerdeutsches Wörterbuch
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈhaɪ̯kəl/
Etymology
In summary
Probably a dialectal variant of Middle Low German ēkel (“disgusting”), from which German Ekel (“loathing, disgust, fastidiousness”). A connection to Proto-Germanic *aikulaz (“fearful”) has been suggested for both words; compare Old English acol (“burdensome, troublesome”), English ache, Galician extern (“to vex”), Dutch akelig (“terrible”). Heikel seems to have arisen out of 16th century Upper German dialects with a first meaning “easily disgusted, choosy”. Dialectal variants include Bavarian haglich and hoaglich (both akin to regional German heikelig or heiklig), Swabian haikel, Alemannic German heikχel, Saterland Frisian hekel (“fastidious with regard to food”). Others have suggested a derivation from Middle High German heien, heigen (“to cherish, harbour”) (compare Bavarian haigeln). The connection with the root of English irk (“to irritate, annoy, bother”), advanced by the Grimms, seems to be out of question today, even given the Upper German verb erkeln (“to loathe”).
Bookmark this
Improve your pronunciation
Start learning German with learnfeliz.
Practice speaking and memorizing "heikel" and many other words and sentences in German.
Go to our German course page
Notes