German word

mager

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈmaːgɐ/

Meaning

  • adjectivelow-fat

Example

Ich esse mageren Quark zum Frühstück.

I eat low-fat curd cheese for breakfast.

Illustration for mager (low-fat)

More examples

Zum Mittag aß sie mageres Fleisch mit Salat.

For lunch, she ate low-fat meat with salad.

Core concept

Something visibly lean or reduced, whether a body, a food, or a limited supply.

Common phrases

  • mageren Quark

    low-fat quark

  • mageres Fleisch

    lean meat

  • magerer Joghurt

    low-fat yogurt

Similar words

schlank: Having a slim, well-proportioned, healthy-looking build.
dünn: Thin in body or build, with little physical thickness.
hager: Very thin and bony-looking, with little visible fat or muscle.

Definition in German

Bezeichnung für fettarme oder fettfreie Lebensmittel; bei Menschen sehr schlank; übertragen knapp oder armselig

Word origin

Mager is an inherited Germanic adjective related to the idea of being thin, and its meanings broadened from physical leanness to scarcity.

Usage tips

  • Mager can describe results, years, or information as meager, as in magere Ergebnisse or magere Jahre.

Other meanings

  • thinadjective
  • scantadjective

Opposites

  • fettfattyadjective
  • fettreichrich in fatadjective

Related words

  • Magernlose weightverb
  • Magerquarklow-fat quarknoun
  • Magerkostlow-fat farenoun

Word lists with this word