A more general word that groups together a class or category of more specific words (hyponyms). A hypernym describes the shared property of a group.
example
„Fahrzeug“ ist der Oberbegriff für Auto, Fahrrad und Bus.
'Vehicle' is the hypernym for car, bicycle, and bus.
Usage tips
Word composition
The word is made up of 'ober-' (which means 'above' or 'higher') and 'der Begriff' (term/concept). An 'Oberbegriff' (hypernym) is therefore a 'higher-level term' that groups other terms under it.
EXAMPLE
„Obst“ ist ein Oberbegriff, der Äpfel, Bananen und Orangen einschließt.
'Fruit' is a hypernym that includes apples, bananas, and oranges.
Use with 'für'
When you want to explain what something is a hypernym for, you use the preposition 'für' (for) followed by the accusative. The typical sentence pattern is: X ist der Oberbegriff für Y (X is the hypernym for Y).
EXAMPLE
„Säugetier“ ist der Oberbegriff für Hunde, Katzen und Menschen.
'Mammal' is the hypernym for dogs, cats, and humans.
Context: language learning
This word is especially useful when talking about or learning language. It helps organize vocabulary and understand the relationships between words.
EXAMPLE
Um deinen Wortschatz zu erweitern, ist es hilfreich, Oberbegriffe und die dazugehörigen Wörter zu lernen.
To expand your vocabulary, it is helpful to learn hypernyms and the words that belong to them.