Kraut is a German word recorded in English from 1918 onwards as a derogatory term for a German, particularly a German soldier.[1] Its earlier meaning in English was as a synonym for the traditional German and central European food, sauerkraut.
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In German, the term is rarely used alone. It means "herb", or designates the leaves and stem of a plant as opposed to the root. The term is more often used in compound nouns for herbs, and also for cabbage and cabbage products:
In former times, Kraut was used as a colloquial expression for tobacco, especially loose tobacco for pipes (Pfeifenkraut).[citation needed] Today it is sometimes used for marijuana a.k.a "weed".[citation needed]
Kraut may have been used as a term for German sailors, who carried Sauerkraut on board in an effort to battle scurvy.[2] (The practice was comparable to the British Royal Navy's consumption of limes, which earned British sailors the nickname "Limey".) Although recorded as a colloquial term for Germans by the mid-nineteenth century, it was during World War I that Kraut came to be used in English as a term for a German. In World War II it was used mainly by U.S. and less so by British soldiers fighting in Europe. The stereotype of the sauerkraut-eating German dates back long before this time, and can be seen, for example, in Jules Verne's depiction of the evil German industrialist Schultz, an avid sauerkraut eater, in The Begum's Millions.
Krautrock is a popularly accepted term for a form of highly experimental German post-Prog Rock of the late 1960s and 1970s. Krautrock was typified by acts such as Amon Düül, Kraftwerk, Neu!, Tangerine Dream, Faust, Can as well as many others.
Kraut was the name of a New York punk rock band in the 1980s. Their song "All Twisted" was the first independent video to air on MTV.
"Magic Kraut" is the name of a song in the album Fresh by Teddybears.
"Krauts with Attitude" is the title of the record released in Germany in 1991 which is credited for playing a prominent role in establishing the German hip hop scene.
German psychedelic, stoner-rock band Colour Haze has released an album titled Los Sounds De Krauts.
The Swedish indie rock band Peter Bjorn and John composed the track titled "School of Kraut".
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World War I: shortening of sauerkraut
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Singular |
Plural |
Kraut (plural Krauts)
Old High German krūt
Kraut n. (genitive Krauts or Krautes, plural Kräuter)
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