Hungertuch
dasNounstarvation cloth (metaphor: 'am Hungertuch nagen' = to be starving/poverty-stricken)
English translations
- 01
hunger cloth
Word details
- German meaning
- Ein großes Tuch, das in der Fastenzeit in katholischen Kirchen vor dem Altar aufgehängt wird, um das Leiden Christi zu symbolisieren.
- English meaning
- Lenten veil
- Synonym
- Fastentuch
- German example
- Das Hungertuch verdeckt den Altar während der Fastenzeit.
- English example
- The Lenten veil covers the altar during Lent.
- Type
- Noun
- Article
- das
- Singular Form
- das Hungertuch
- Plural Form
- die Hungertücher
Related words
- am Hungertuch nagen
To live in poverty, to scrape by
Example sentences with “Hungertuch”
Seit er arbeitslos ist, nagt er am Hungertuch. (Since he is unemployed, he is struggling to survive.)
Frequently asked questions
What is the origin of the expression?
It refers to medieval church cloths that hid the altar during Lent; metaphorically, it means extreme poverty.