Gerber
masculine
The German word for tanner is Gerber.
The term refers to a person whose occupation is to tan.
Meaning: person whose occupation is to tan (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The noun Gerber is derived from the verb gerben, which means to tan.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular form is Gerber. To refer to a female tanner, use the feminine form Gerberin. The plural form for multiple tanners is also Gerber, the same as the masculine singular.
Did you know?
- If you describe someone as gebräunt, you are saying they have a sun tan, but never use gerbt to describe a person's skin tone or they will sound like they are made of leather.
- Because tanning involves harsh chemicals and odors, Gerber workshops were historically required to be located on the outskirts of German cities or downstream from other residents.
- The word Gerber is a common German surname, similar to 'Smith' or 'Miller' in English, because tanning was a vital trade in medieval towns.
Examples in context
- Der Gerber arbeitet in der alten Werkstatt.The tanner works in the old workshop.
- Früher war mein Urgroßvater ein Gerber.My great-grandfather used to be a tanner.
- Wir müssen den Gerber nach der Lederverarbeitung fragen.We need to ask the tanner about the leather processing.
Example conversation
Lukas and Sarah are discussing a history museum exhibit.
- LukasSiehst du diesen alten Gerber dort?Do you see that old tanner there?
- SarahJa, sein Beruf war sehr geruchsintensiv.Yes, his profession was very strong-smelling.
- LukasDas stimmt, er verarbeitete viele Häute.That's true, he processed many skins.
- SarahDas war ein harter Job.That was a hard job.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tanner” translations and entries Gerber, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
