Oberst
masculine
The German word for colonel is Oberst.
Oberst is a masculine noun used to refer to a commissioned officer in the armed services. In certain contexts, such as when discussing a retired officer, you may see the abbreviation a. D. appended to the rank.
Meaning: commissioned office in the armed services (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine noun Oberst follows the weak declension pattern.
Did you know?
- The word Oberst is actually a superlative, meaning it is fundamentally built from the concept of being 'highest' or 'most upper'.
- Unlike the English word 'colonel', which comes from a word for a 'column' of soldiers, Oberst is based on the concept of hierarchy and height.
- In German, there is no single word for 'colonel' that is a cognate of the English term, as the English 'colonel' is borrowed from French and Italian while Oberst is purely Germanic.
Examples in context
- Tom ist Oberst a. D.Tom is a retired Army colonel.This sentence shows how to use Oberst when describing a retired officer.Tatoeba #6821538 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #5848665 by CK
- Der Oberst war außer sich.The Colonel was very angry.This sentence shows a way to use Oberst to describe someone's emotional state.Tatoeba #12182646 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #6957726 by Hybrid
- Ich kam mit dem Oberstleutnant aus.I got along with the lieutenant colonel.This sentence shows how to use the root of Oberst within the rank of lieutenant colonel.Tatoeba #2488363 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2488262 by Amastan
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Sarah are discussing a historical novel.
- LukasWer ist der Hauptcharakter?Who is the main character?
- SarahEin Oberst aus dem Ersten Weltkrieg.A colonel from the First World War.
- LukasIst der Oberst ein guter Mann?Is the colonel a good man?
- SarahJa, er ist sehr heldenhaft.Yes, he is very heroic.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “colonel” translations and entries Oberst, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Oberst, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
