die Brieftaube
carrier pigeon
A pigeon trained to carry messages over a long distance to its home loft.
EXAMPLE
Die Brieftaube kehrte mit der Nachricht zu ihrem Heimatschlag zurück.
The carrier pigeon returned to its home loft with the message.
die Brieftaube
carrier pigeon
die Brieftaube, die Brieftauben
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Brieftaube, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Brieftauben |
| genitive | der Brieftaube |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Brieftaube | die Brieftauben |
| accusative | die Brieftaube | die Brieftauben |
| dative | der Brieftaube | den Brieftauben |
| genitive | der Brieftaube | der Brieftauben |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Compound nouns
'Brieftaube' (carrier pigeon) is made up of 'Brief' (letter) and 'Taube' (pigeon). It therefore refers to a pigeon associated with a message; the base word 'Taube' determines the part of speech and the gender of the compound noun.
EXAMPLE
Im Museum wird erklärt, wie die Brieftaube früher Nachrichten überbrachte.
The museum explains how carrier pigeons used to deliver messages.
Typical collocations
The verbs 'einsetzen' (to use), 'halten' (to keep), 'züchten' (to breed), and 'abrichten' (to train) are often used with 'Brieftaube' (carrier pigeon). The phrase 'eine Nachricht mit einer Brieftaube schicken' (to send a message with a carrier pigeon) is also common.
EXAMPLE
Im Krieg setzte man die Brieftaube ein, um wichtige Informationen zu übermitteln.
During the war, carrier pigeons were used to transmit important information.
Returning to its home loft
A 'Brieftaube' (carrier pigeon) normally brings a message back to its own home loft. The word therefore does not describe a pigeon that flies to any destination and delivers a message there.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Abflug fand die Brieftaube selbstständig den Weg zu ihrem Heimatschlag.
After taking off, the carrier pigeon found its way back to its home loft on its own.
In real life
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