die Blutspur
blood trail
A series of drops of blood or a bloody trail left by an injured person or animal.
EXAMPLE
Der verletzte Hund hinterließ eine Blutspur im Schnee.
The injured dog left a blood trail in the snow.
die Blutspur
blood trail
die Blutspur, die Blutspuren
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Meanings
die Blutspur
bloody trail
A series of acts of violence in which people are killed or seriously injured; often used figuratively for an especially brutal course of events.
EXAMPLE
Der Diktator hinterließ in seinem Land eine lange Blutspur.
The dictator left a long bloody trail in his country.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Blutspur, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Blutspuren |
| genitive | der Blutspur |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Blutspur | die Blutspuren |
| accusative | die Blutspur | die Blutspuren |
| dative | der Blutspur | den Blutspuren |
| genitive | der Blutspur | der Blutspuren |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Compound word
'Blutspur' (blood trail) is made up of 'Blut' (blood) and 'Spur' (trail). Literally, it means a trail of blood; the figurative meaning develops from this.
EXAMPLE
Auf dem Boden war eine deutliche Blutspur zu sehen.
A clear blood trail could be seen on the ground.
Typical collocations
In its literal meaning, 'Blutspur' (blood trail) is often used with verbs such as 'folgen' (to follow), 'entdecken' (to discover), and 'hinterlassen' (to leave). The pattern 'einer Blutspur folgen' (to follow a blood trail), with the dative, is especially common.
EXAMPLE
Die Ermittler folgten einer Blutspur durch den Wald.
The investigators followed a blood trail through the forest.
Figurative context
The figurative meaning often appears in reports about war, terrorism, or political violence. Signal words such as 'Opfer' (victims), 'Gewalt' (violence), or 'Diktator' (dictator) show that a visible trail of individual drops of blood is not meant.
EXAMPLE
Der Bürgerkrieg zog eine Blutspur durch das ganze Land.
The civil war left a bloody trail across the entire country.
In real life
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