Wendehals

German

Etymology

wenden (“turn around”) +‎ Hals (“neck”)

Pronunciation

  • Audio:(file)

Noun

Wendehals m (strong, genitive Wendehalses, plural Wendehälse)

  1. The Eurasian wryneck (Jynx torquilla).
  2. An opportunist, a person with no principles.
  3. (politics) A political opportunist after a regime change, particularly a communist in East Germany who switched to supporting capitalism after German reunification.

Declension

Declension of Wendehals [masculine, strong]
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein der Wendehals die Wendehälse
genitive eines des Wendehalses der Wendehälse
dative einem dem Wendehals, Wendehalse1 den Wendehälsen
accusative einen den Wendehals die Wendehälse

1Now rare, see notes.

Derived terms

  • Rotkehl-Wendehals (“red-throated wryneck”)

Descendants

  • Russian: вертише́йка (vertišéjka) (calque)

Further reading

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