Geige

violin

noun GUY-guh Rare

Also means

fiddle

Usage Note

Geige is the everyday German word for violin; the Latinate Violine is more formal. A violinist is Geiger (m) or Geigerin (f), and the idiom die erste Geige spielen means to play first fiddle, i.e. to be in charge.

Examples

"Sie spielt seit ihrem fünften Lebensjahr Geige."

Natural Translation

She has played the violin since she was five.

Literal Translation

She plays since her fifth life-year violin.

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