Au

floodplain meadow

noun OW Rare

Origin: Old High German ouwa, water-land

Also means

water meadow

Usage Note

Au (also spelt Aue) is feminine and names fertile lowland along a river, prone to flooding. It survives in many place-names like Reichenau; an Auwald is the floodplain forest.

Examples

"Die Au wird im Frühjahr regelmäßig überschwemmt."

Natural Translation

The floodplain meadow is regularly flooded in spring.

Literal Translation

The floodplain-meadow is in-the spring regularly flooded.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Colors: Names, Shades, and Idioms

German colors are adjectives that take endings — say das rote Auto, not das rot Auto. Get the names, shades, the das-Rot rule, and 14 color idioms.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German Modal Verbs: Können, Müssen, Wollen and More

German modal verbs put the modal in position 2 and the real verb at the end. Master können, müssen, wollen and the rest with charts and clear examples.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German Body Parts: Vocabulary + How to Say It Hurts

Learn German body parts with der/die/das and plurals, plus the two ways to say something hurts: Mir tut der Kopf weh and Ich habe Kopfschmerzen.

June 9, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

Du vs. Sie: When to Use Each in German

Use Sie with strangers, elders, and at work; use du with friends, family, kids, and peers. Here's how to pick the right German you every time.

June 5, 2026 6 min read