die Flughöhe
altitude
The height above the ground or the Earth's surface at which an airplane or another aircraft flies.
EXAMPLE
Das Flugzeug erreichte eine Flughöhe von zehn Kilometern.
The airplane reached an altitude of ten kilometers.
die Flughöhe
altitude / level of abstraction
die Flughöhe, die Flughöhen
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
die Flughöhe
level of abstraction
The level or degree of abstraction at which a topic is addressed or a discussion is conducted.
EXAMPLE
Die Flughöhe der Diskussion war für viele Zuhörer zu theoretisch.
The level of abstraction in the discussion was too theoretical for many listeners.
Forms
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Flughöhen |
| genitive | der Flughöhe |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Flughöhe | die Flughöhen |
| accusative | die Flughöhe | die Flughöhen |
| dative | der Flughöhe | den Flughöhen |
| genitive | der Flughöhe | der Flughöhen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Word formation
'Flughöhe' (altitude) is made up of 'Flug' (flight) and 'Höhe' (height). It literally means the height at which something flies; the figurative meaning referring to the level at which a topic is addressed developed from this.
EXAMPLE
Die Flughöhe des Hubschraubers wurde vom Piloten ständig kontrolliert.
The pilot constantly monitored the helicopter's altitude.
Context clue
Numbers with units such as meters or kilometers and words related to aviation usually indicate the literal meaning. When the context involves discussions, strategies, or abstraction, 'Flughöhe' (level of abstraction) is usually used figuratively.
EXAMPLE
Bei der Besprechung fehlten konkrete Beispiele, weil die Flughöhe der Diskussion sehr abstrakt war.
The meeting lacked concrete examples because the discussion was conducted at a very high level of abstraction.
Das Flugzeug musste wegen des starken Winds seine Flughöhe ändern.
The airplane had to change its altitude because of the strong wind.
Typical collocations
When referring to aircraft, 'Flughöhe' (altitude) often occurs with verbs such as 'erreichen' (to reach), 'halten' (to maintain), and 'ändern' (to change). Specifying an exact altitude with 'von' (of) is also very common.
EXAMPLE
Das Flugzeug hielt auch bei Turbulenzen seine Flughöhe von elf Kilometern.
The airplane maintained its altitude of eleven kilometers even during turbulence.
Figurative usage
The figurative meaning is especially common in conversations about strategy, politics, business, and organizations. In these contexts, 'Flughöhe' (level of abstraction) often describes how abstractly a topic is addressed or how much the focus is on general principles.
EXAMPLE
Für die neue Strategie brauchen wir zunächst eine größere Flughöhe und müssen die Einzelheiten später klären.
For the new strategy, we first need a higher level of abstraction and will have to work out the details later.
In real life
Loading video examples...