der Wachturm
watchtower
A raised tower from which an area is observed and guarded.
EXAMPLE
Der Soldat beobachtete vom Wachturm aus die Grenze.
The soldier observed the border from the watchtower.
der Wachturm
watchtower
der Wachturm, die Wachtürme
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Wachturm, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Wachtürme |
| genitive | des Wachturmes |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Wachturm | die Wachtürme |
| accusative | den Wachturm | die Wachtürme |
| dative | dem Wachturm | den Wachtürmen |
| genitive | des Wachturmes des Wachturms | der Wachtürme |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Compound word
'Wachturm' is made up of the stem of the verb 'wachen' (to keep watch) and the noun 'Turm' (tower). 'Wachen' means to keep watch and guard here; a watchtower is therefore a tower from which someone keeps watch.
EXAMPLE
Der alte Wachturm steht noch heute am Rand der Stadt.
The old watchtower is still standing on the outskirts of the city today.
Indicating location
The location is usually expressed with 'auf dem Wachturm' (on the watchtower). When observation takes place from there, 'vom Wachturm aus' (from the watchtower) is often used.
EXAMPLE
Vom Wachturm aus konnte man weit über das Tal blicken.
From the watchtower, you could see far across the valley.
Zwei Personen standen auf dem Wachturm.
Two people were standing on the watchtower.
Typical collocations
'Wachturm' is especially associated with verbs of observation and guarding, such as 'einen Wachturm besteigen' (to climb a watchtower), 'auf einem Wachturm Wache halten' (to keep watch on a watchtower), and 'vom Wachturm aus beobachten' (to observe from the watchtower).
EXAMPLE
Die Wächter hielten auf dem Wachturm die ganze Nacht Wache.
The guards kept watch on the watchtower all night.
In real life
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