Stau

18th century, from Low German Stau, from Middle Low German stouw, stouwe (“weir”), probably a back-formation from stouwen (“to stop, dam”), from Old Saxon *stōwa, from Proto-West Germanic *stōu, ultimately derived from Proto-Germanic *stōō (“place”). Cognate with Dutch stuw.

Alternatively the Dutch and Low German forms could be inherited from the Germanic noun (like English stow), but the sense makes a new deverbal derivation more likely.

• IPA^(key): /ʃtaʊ̯/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊ̯

Stau m (strong, genitive Staus, plural Staus or (chiefly for “weirs”) Staue)

1. congestion, stagnancy of water or anything dammed or otherwise backed-up
2. (especially) ellipsis of Verkehrsstau (“traffic jam”)
3. (specialist) weir

   Synonyms: Wehr, Stauwehr, Stauwerk, Stauanlage

• stauen

• “Stau” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Stau” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Stau” in Duden online

Stau m (plural Stauen)

1. traffic jam