der Laich
spawn
All the eggs that fish or amphibians lay for reproduction.
EXAMPLE
Im flachen Teich entdeckten wir den Laich der Frösche.
In the shallow pond, we discovered the frogs' spawn.
der Laich
spawn
der Laich, die Laiche
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Laich, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Laiche |
| genitive | des Laiches |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Laich | die Laiche |
| accusative | den Laich | die Laiche |
| dative | dem Laich | den Laichen |
| genitive | des Laiches des Laichs | der Laiche |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Word family
'Laich' (spawn) belongs to the word family of 'laichen' (to spawn). This makes it easier to connect the word with the reproductive behavior of fish and amphibians.
EXAMPLE
Die Frösche laichen im Frühjahr, und im Teich findet man dann ihren Laich.
Frogs spawn in spring, and you can then find their spawn in the pond.
Typical collocations
Common collocations include 'Laich ablegen' (to lay spawn), 'Laich entdecken' (to discover spawn), and 'Laich schützen' (to protect spawn). 'Laich' usually refers to a large quantity of eggs in a body of water.
EXAMPLE
Die Naturschützer schützen den Laich der Kröten vor den Fischen.
The conservationists protect the toads' spawn from the fish.
Natural history context
The word is especially common in natural history, biology, and environmental texts. In everyday life, you often encounter it in conversations about ponds, rivers, fish, or amphibians.
EXAMPLE
Die Kinder beobachteten vorsichtig den Laich im seichten Wasser.
The children carefully observed the spawn in the shallow water.
In real life
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