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Flut
/fluːt/
flood
Nach den starken Regenfällen gab es eine schwere Flut.
After the heavy rainfall, there was a severe flood.
general
A large amount of water covering an area that is usually dry, often caused by heavy rain, melting snow, or a dam breaking.
Die Flut hat mehrere Dörfer überschwemmt.
The flood submerged several villages.
In German, 'Flut' can refer to both natural floods and high tides (e.g., 'Gezeitenflut'). Context usually clarifies the meaning.
figurative
A very large number of people or things arriving or happening at the same time.
Eine Flut von E-Mails traf ein.
A flood of emails arrived.
Common in business and media contexts to describe overwhelming quantities.
Collocations
Flutwelleflood wave / tidal waveFlutgebietflood zoneFlutkatastropheflood disasterFlutlichtfloodlightEbbe und Flutebb and flow
Synonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Avoid confusion with 'Flut' vs. 'Hochwasser'
'Flut' often refers to the rising tide or a sudden, overwhelming event (e.g., 'Flut von Nachrichten'). 'Hochwasser' is more technical and refers to river flooding or high water levels. In weather reports, 'Flut' may describe tidal conditions, while 'Hochwasser' describes inland flooding.
Gold Rule
Capitalization and gender
In German, 'Flut' is always capitalized as it is a noun. It is feminine (die Flut) and takes the definite article 'die' in the nominative case.
Word Origin
From Middle High German 'vlût', from Old High German 'fluot', related to Old English 'flōd' (English 'flood'). Proto-Germanic '*flōduz', from Proto-Indo-European '*plew-', meaning 'to flow'.
Usage Notes
In German, 'Flut' is feminine (die Flut) and is often used in compound nouns (e.g., 'Flutwelle', 'Flutkatastrophe'). The figurative use ('a flood of emails') is common in modern German but less frequent in English.
Word Breakdown
Flut
flood / high tide
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