English
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe comes from German Luftwaffe ‘air force’.
- Germanc. 1650–presentLuftwaffe‘air force’literally ‘an air-weapon’
- Englishearliest quotation 2020same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Germanc. 1650–presentLuftwaffe‘air force’literally ‘an air-weapon’
- Englishearliest quotation 2020same form
Earliest quotation: 2020, Neal Ascherson: “Politicians insist that lockdown under coronavirus is like the…”
The story
Unadapted borrowing from German Luftwaffe (literally “an air-weapon”).
Every English word from German Luftwaffe
Today it means
name The German air force, especially during the Second World War.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / German Luftwaffe / Luftwaffe