der Fleischfresser
carnivore
An animal that feeds mainly or exclusively on the flesh of other animals.
EXAMPLE
Löwen sind Fleischfresser und jagen vor allem größere Säugetiere.
Lions are carnivores and mainly hunt larger mammals.
der Fleischfresser
carnivore / meat eater
der Fleischfresser, die Fleischfresser
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Meanings
der Fleischfresser
meat eater
Informal and often humorous or derogatory: a person who enjoys eating a lot of meat.
EXAMPLE
Mein Bruder ist ein echter Fleischfresser und würde am liebsten jeden Tag Steak essen.
My brother is a real meat eater and would happily eat steak every day.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Fleischfresser, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Fleischfresser |
| genitive | des Fleischfressers |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Fleischfresser | die Fleischfresser |
| accusative | den Fleischfresser | die Fleischfresser |
| dative | dem Fleischfresser | den Fleischfressern |
| genitive | des Fleischfressers | der Fleischfresser |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Word formation
'Fleischfresser' (carnivore / meat eater) is made up of 'Fleisch' (meat) and 'Fresser' (eater). The head element 'Fresser' is related to the verb 'fressen' (to eat, used of animals) and here identifies a living creature by what it eats.
EXAMPLE
Der Tyrannosaurus war einer der größten Fleischfresser der Erdgeschichte.
Tyrannosaurus was one of the largest carnivores in Earth's history.
Biological classification
In biological texts, 'Fleischfresser' (carnivore) is frequently used to classify animal species. Typical sentence patterns include 'zu den Fleischfressern gehören' (to be among the carnivores) and 'ein Fleischfresser ernährt sich von …' (a carnivore feeds on …).
EXAMPLE
Zu den Fleischfressern gehören auch viele kleine Raubtiere.
Many small predators are also carnivores.
Register note
When referring to people, 'Fleischfresser' (meat eater) is mainly informal and usually humorous or critical. The term is especially suitable for situations in which someone emphasizes their fondness for large or frequent portions of meat.
EXAMPLE
Beim Grillfest wurde er wegen seines großen Appetits scherzhaft als Fleischfresser bezeichnet.
At the barbecue, he was jokingly called a meat eater because of his large appetite.
In real life
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