thing
das Thing, die Thinge
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assembly
An assembly of free men among Germanic peoples where political and military matters were decided and justice was administered.
Die freien Männer kamen zum Thing zusammen, um über den Streit zwischen den beiden Familien zu urteilen.
The free men gathered at the assembly to judge the dispute between the two families.
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| plural | die Thinge |
| genitive | des Things |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Thing | die Thinge |
| accusative | das Thing | die Thinge |
| dative | dem Thing | den Thingen |
| genitive | des Things des Thinges | der Thinge |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
The German word „Thing“ refers to a historical assembly and does not generally mean an object like the English word 'thing'. In German, the word is also capitalized because it is a noun.
Im Museum erfuhren die Besucher mehr über das Thing der alten Germanen.
At the museum, the visitors learned more about the Thing (assembly) of the ancient Germanic peoples.
„Thing“ is mainly used in historical accounts, historical novels, and texts about Germanic peoples. In everyday German today, the word is not normally used for a current assembly.
Der historische Roman beschreibt ein Thing, bei dem ein Streit geschlichtet werden soll.
The historical novel describes a Thing (assembly) where a dispute is to be settled.
Common collocations include „ein Thing abhalten“ (to hold an assembly), „zum Thing zusammenkommen“ (to gather at the assembly), and „auf dem Thing Recht sprechen“ (to administer justice at the assembly). These expressions show that the Thing is understood as an assembly with a specific purpose.
Einmal im Jahr hielten die Sippen ein Thing ab, auf dem die Ältesten Recht sprachen.
Once a year, the clans held a Thing at which the elders administered justice.
