noun

die Wette, -n

bet

Eine Abmachung, bei der zwei oder mehr Personen etwas riskieren, weil sie verschiedene Meinungen über den Ausgang von etwas haben.

Definition & meaning

A Wette refers to a bet or a wager. It is an agreement between two or more parties where each party predicts a different outcome of an uncertain event. The party whose prediction is incorrect must typically forfeit a previously agreed-upon stake, such as a sum of money or the performance of a task, to the party whose prediction was correct.

In a broader figurative sense, it can also refer to a calculated risk or a belief in a future development (e.g., "placing a bet on a specific technology").

Grammar & Word origin

The word is a feminine noun (die Wette). Its plural form is die Wetten.

It is derived from the Middle High German word wette, which originally meant a pledge, a bail, or an agreement confirmed by a security deposit. It is related to the verb wetten (to bet) and shares etymological roots with the English word "wed," as both historically relate to the act of pledging something to seal an agreement.