Grobian

See also: grobian

German

Etymology

15th century in the form Grobianus, shortened by the 16th century. Humorous formation from grob (“coarse”) +‎ Latin -iānus. Compare Schlendrian and further Dummerjan, Liederjan (also Dummrian, Liedrian).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡroːbi̯aːn/, [ˈɡʁoː.biˌaːn], (seldom) [ˈɡʁoːˌbjaːn]

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Noun

Grobian m (strong, genitive Grobians or (very rare) Grobianes, plural Grobiane)

1. boor, brute, ruffian

   Synonyms: Flegel, Lümmel, Raubein, Rohling, Rowdy, Rüpel, Wüstling

   • 1819, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “Dem Schenken”, in West–östlicher Divan‎; republished as Edward Dowden, transl., West-Eastern Divan, 1914:

     Setze mir nicht, du Grobian, / Mir den Krug so derb vor die Nase

     Clown, do not clap the vessel that you bear / In such rough fashion here beneath my nose!

Declension

Declension of Grobian [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Grobian	die	Grobiane
genitive	eines	des	Grobians, Grobianes	der	Grobiane
dative	einem	dem	Grobian, Grobiane1	den	Grobianen
accusative	einen	den	Grobian	die	Grobiane

¹Now rare, see notes.

Descendants

• → Belarusian: грубія́н (hrubiján)
• → Czech: hrubián
• → English: grobian
• → Norwegian: grobian
• → Polish: grubianin
• → Romanian: grobian
• → Russian: грубия́н (grubiján) (likely via Polish or Czech)
• → Swedish: grobian
• → Ukrainian: грубія́н (hrubiján) (likely via Polish or Czech)

Further reading

• “Grobian” in Duden online
• “Grobian” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Grobian” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.