dirndl
/ˈdɜɹnd(ə)l/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.72 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A traditional Alpine woman's dress having a tight bodice and full skirt.
noun
In full dirndl skirt: a full skirt with a tight waistband resembling one which is part of a traditional Alpine woman's dress.
Example Sentences
- "For a change, Selina was not in slacks, but in a simple dirndl and sandals."
- "On the cover of the leaflet advertising the Alpenrose Gasthof in Zirl am Gurgl […] there is a decorative picture of a young woman. She is wearing Tyrolese costume: the low-cut white bodice with cross-laced velvet waistcoat, the floral apron and dirndl skirt."
Etymology
Borrowed from German Dirndl, a diminutive of Dirne (“girl”) (Austria, Bavaria), from Middle High German dierne (“girl; servant”), from Old High German diorna, thiorna (“girl; servant”), from Proto-West Germanic *þewernā (“maiden, young girl; female servant, handmaid”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tekʷ- (“to flow; to run”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *tekʷ-, Dirndl, dierne, diorna, *þewernā
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈdɜɹnd(ə)l/
- British English: /ˈdɜːndl̩/