Korb

See also: korb and kõrb

German

Etymology

From Middle High German korp, from Old High German korb, chorp, from Proto-West Germanic *korb.

The sense “rejection of a (romantic) request” is formed back from the expressions einen Korb geben (“to so reject”), einen Korb kriegen (“to be so rejected”). These derive from certain older customs, which involved a bottomless basket as a symbol of the end or inexistence of love. The further origin of this symbol seems uncertain, though it has been plausibly related to the apparent mediaeval practice of pulling a secret visitor up to one’s window in a basket. Compare the same in Dutch een korf krijgen, Swedish få korgen and Danish få en kurv.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kɔrp/, [kɔʁp], [kɔɐ̯p], [kɔːp]
  • Audio (Germany (Berlin)):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɔɐ̯p

Noun

Korb m (strong, genitive Korbes or Korbs, plural Körbe, diminutive Körbchen n or Körbelein n or Körblein n or Körberl n)

  1. basket, creel
    Ich brauche einen Korb für die Beeren, die ich pflücke.
    I need a basket for the berries that I pick.
    1. (basketball) hoop
    2. (botany) anthodium (inflorescence of a compound flower)
    3. (aviation) nacelle
  2. (figurative, often as ein ganzer Korb) a variety, selection, range
    1. (law) a set of laws around a certain theme
  3. (informal) rebuff (rejection of a request, especially romantic, such as a proposal or asking for a date)
    Synonym: Abfuhr
    einen Korb bekommen/kriegen ― to suffer a rebuff (literally, “to get a basket”)
    • 2023 June 15, Benno Stieber, “#MeToo bei der Polizei: Macht missbraucht”, in Die Tageszeitung: taz‎[1], Berlin: taz, die tageszeitung Verlagsgenossenschaft eG, →ISSN, archived from the original on 22 October 2026:
      „ […] Er will mit mir in die Kiste, ich will das definitiv nicht“. Die Schwester versteht erst nicht, mit wem A. unterwegs war. […] Die Schwester rät, ihm klar zu machen, dass sie das nicht will. Katja antwortet: „Ich hoffe, dass er mit dem Korb umgehen kann.“
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension

Declension of Korb [masculine, strong]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein der Korb die Körbe
genitive eines des Korbes, Korbs der Körbe
dative einem dem Korb, Korbe1 den Körben
accusative einen den Korb die Körbe

1Now rare, see notes.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

  • korbartig
  • korbförmig

Further reading

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