German word

Tote

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈtoːtə/

Meaning

  • noun (m./f.)dead person

Example

Bei dem Brand fanden Retter mehrere Tote.

In the fire, rescuers found several dead people.

Illustration for Tote (dead person)

More examples

Das Attentat forderte mehr als zehn Tote.

The attack left more than ten people dead.

Core concept

A person whose life has ended, often viewed as a body found or recovered after death.

Common phrases

  • mehr als zehn Tote

    more than ten dead people

  • der erste Tote

    the first dead person

Similar words

Verstorbene: A deceased person referred to in respectful or ceremonial language.
Leiche: A dead body, especially when referring to physical remains.
Tod: The end of life or the state of being dead.
Opfer: A person harmed or killed in an accident or disaster.

Definition in German

Nominalisierte Form des Adjektivs tot für eine verstorbene Person; als Nomina: der Tote (Sg.), die Toten (Pl.).

Word origin

Tote is the nominalized adjective tot, with capitalization and an adjective ending after a determiner, while tot continues Old High German tot and Proto-Germanic *dauþaz.

Usage tips

  • Tote is direct and often factual in reports, while Verstorbene is a more respectful term for a deceased person.

Opposites

  • Lebendeliving peoplenoun

Related words

  • totdeadadjective
  • totlachenlaugh oneself to deathverb

Word lists with this word