German word

Gas

Pronunciation

IPA/gaːs/

Meaning

  • neuter noungas

Example

Dreh das Gas sofort ab.

Shut off the gas right away.

Illustration for Gas (gas)

More examples

Ich rieche Gas und verlasse sofort das Haus.

I smell gas and leave the house immediately.

Core concept

An invisible substance spreading through space, able to fuel a flame or harm a body.

Common phrases

  • Gas abstellen

    shut off the gas

  • nach Gas riechen

    smell like gas

  • Gasherd einschalten

    switch on the gas stove

Similar words

Luft: The mixture of gases surrounding Earth and needed for breathing.
Erdgas: A flammable natural fuel extracted from underground for homes and industry.
Dampf: Water vapor produced when liquid water is heated.
Rauch: Visible particles and gases released by burning material, often with a smell and soot.

Definition in German

Gas ist ein meist unsichtbares, gasförmiges Gemisch, das geruchlos sein kann und harmlos oder giftig sein kann.

Word origin

German Gas was borrowed from Dutch gas, a seventeenth-century word coined by Johannes van Helmont from Greek khaos, meaning empty space or chaos.

Usage tips

  • Gas is neuter, so its forms are das Gas, des Gases, and die Gase; gasoline is usually called Benzin in German.

Related words

  • Gasflaschegas bottlenoun
  • Gasherdgas cookernoun
  • Gasleitunggas pipelinenoun

Word lists with this word