der Urlaub, -e
vacation
Eine Zeit, in der man nicht arbeiten muss und sich ausruhen oder etwas Schönes unternehmen kann.
The German word "Urlaub" is a noun meaning "vacation" or "holiday"—a period of rest or leave from work or daily duties.
It is not a compound word made up of smaller meaningful parts (excluding any prefixes), but etymologically related to the old term "ur-" (original, primeval) combined with "laub" (foliage/leaves), metaphorically linking to a time off, originally linked to foliage/growth times.
Similar words:
- Ferien (holidays, mainly school breaks)
- Pause (break, pause)
- Freizeit (free time, leisure)
Differences:
- Urlaub typically refers to work leave or personal time off.
- Ferien generally refers to school vacations.
- Pause is shorter breaks (e.g., lunch break).
- Freizeit is broader, meaning any leisure/free time outside obligations.
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Examples
Ich mache gerne Urlaub am Meer.noun
I like to vacation at the beach.
Der Urlaub war sehr erholsam.noun
The vacation was very relaxing.
Der Urlaub beginnt nächste Woche.noun
The vacation starts next week.
Mein Urlaub beginnt nächste Woche.noun
My vacation begins next week.
Mein Urlaub in Spanien war großartig.noun
My vacation in Spain was great.
Wir fahren bald in den Urlaub.noun
We are soon going on vacation.
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