Scholz’s saying about the war in Ukraine became the word of the year in Germany

The German Language society, which chooses the word of the year, recognized Zeitenwende as the word of the year in German, as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz used it in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. This was reported on the website of the society.

Zeitenwende is translated as “turning point”.

“This word is not new and means the beginning of the Christian era, but in a more general sense it also means any transition to a new era. It was actively used in the second meaning by Chancellor Scholz. The Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 was a “turning point in the history of our continent”. In the same context, Federal President Steinmeier spoke of an “epochal turning point”,” the society explained.

The second place according to the jury was taken by the phrase Krieg um Frieden — “war for peace”.

“For Moscow propaganda it is a special military operation, for many, especially in NATO, it is just a war of conquest. Even in political parties with pacifist traditions, there was a spreading opinion about the need to provide Ukraine with armed support to protect its state integrity, and subsequently to achieve lasting peace in Eastern Europe,” the society noted.

To recap, the word of the year according to Merriam Webster is “gaslighting”. The compilers of Collins Dictionary chose the concept of “permacrisis” as the main word of 2022.

Featured photo: Alexey Vitvitsky/Sputnik/dpa/picture alliance