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Definition 2024

Leute

Leute

German

Alternative forms

Leut (colloquial or poetic)

Noun

Leute (plural only, diminutive Leutchen or Leutlein)

people (several individual persons or humanity in general)

Declension

Declension of Leute (plurale tantum)

	singular
	def.	noun
nominative	die	Leute
genitive	der	Leute
dative	den	Leuten
accusative	die	Leute

Usage notes

A backformed singular der or das Leut, meaning “a person”, may be heard in colloquial speech. It is rare and usually humorous.

Etymology

From Old High German liutī, also liudī, from Proto-Germanic *liudīz ‎(“people”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lewdʰ- ‎(“man, people”). Compare Dutch lieden/luden/luiden "people", Old Norse lýðir ‎(“people”) (whence Icelandic lýður), Old Saxon liudi, Old English lēode ‎(“people”), Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌸𐍃 ‎(liuþs), Russian люди ‎(ljudi), Bulgarian люде ‎(ljude). More at leod.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈlɔʏ̯tə/
Homophones: läute, Läute