das  Nachschlagewerk

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈnaːxˌʃlaːɡəˌvɛʁk/

📖 What exactly is a Nachschlagewerk?

A Nachschlagewerk is a book or a collection of books (or nowadays also a digital resource like a website or database) that is designed for quickly finding specific information. You don't usually read it from cover to cover, but rather look up specific terms, facts, or data (man schlägt gezielt nach).

Typical examples include:

• Lexika und Enzyklopädien (Lexicons and encyclopedias)
• Wörterbücher (Dictionaries)
• Atlanten (Atlases)
• Handbücher (Manuals or handbooks on specific topics)

It is always neuter: das Nachschlagewerk.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar under the Microscope: Das Nachschlagewerk

The noun "Nachschlagewerk" is neuter (sächlich). Here is its declension:

Singular

Plural

💡 Example Sentences

1. Ich brauche ein gutes Nachschlagewerk für meine Hausarbeit.
   (I need a good reference work for my term paper.)
2. Der Wert dieses alten Nachschlagewerkes ist beträchtlich.
   (The value of this old reference work is considerable.)
3. Mit diesem digitalen Nachschlagewerk findest du alles schnell.
   (With this digital reference work, you can find everything quickly.)
4. Die Bibliothek hat viele nützliche Nachschlagewerke.
   (The library has many useful reference works.)

✍️ How to Use "Nachschlagewerk"?

"Nachschlagewerk" is used when talking about a resource primarily intended for looking up specific information. It emphasizes the function of searching and finding.

• In everyday life: When referring to a dictionary or encyclopedia. "Schau das Wort doch im Nachschlagewerk nach!" (Just look the word up in the reference work!)
• In academic contexts: For scholarly handbooks, lexicons, or databases. "Dieses Fachlexikon ist ein unverzichtbares Nachschlagewerk für Studierende." (This specialized lexicon is an indispensable reference work for students.)
• In the digital age: Also applies to online encyclopedias like Wikipedia or specialized databases. "Wikipedia ist das meistgenutzte digitale Nachschlagewerk." (Wikipedia is the most used digital reference work.)

Distinction: A Roman (novel) or a Zeitschrift (magazine) is not a Nachschlagewerk because they are meant to be read continuously. A Lehrbuch (textbook) might contain elements of a reference work but is primarily for systematic learning.

🧠 Mnemonics to Remember

For the article (das): Think of other neutral German compound words ending in "-werk", like das Kunstwerk (artwork) or das Bauwerk (building/structure). Imagine searching for that one neutral fact within the large Werk (work/book). Information is neutral, the book is a neutral tool: das Nachschlagewerk.

For the meaning: Break it down: "Nachschlagen" + "Werk". "Nachschlagen" means to look up (something in a book/list). "Werk" means work, often in the sense of a book or creation. So, it's literally a "look-up work" – a resource where you look things up!

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms for Nachschlagewerk

⚠️ Note: While a Lexikon or Enzyklopädie can often be called a Nachschlagewerk, not every Nachschlagewerk is automatically a Lexikon (e.g., an Atlas).

😄 A Little Joke

Warum hat das Nachschlagewerk nie Stress?

Weil es immer alles nachschlagen kann! 😉

(Why is the reference work never stressed? Because it can always look everything up!)

📜 A Poem About Searching

Ein Kopf voll Fragen, groß und klein, (A head full of questions, big and small,)
Wo mag die Antwort nur wohl sein? (Where might the answer be?)
Ich greif zum Buch, so schwer und klug, (I reach for the book, so heavy and wise,)
Das Nachschlagewerk, Zug um Zug. (The reference work, step by step.)

Ich schlage nach, von A bis Zett, (I look it up, from A to Z,)
Finde die Fakten, fein und nett. (Find the facts, fine and neat.)
Ob Datum, Name, ferner Ort, (Whether date, name, distant place,)
Es hilft mir weiter, Wort für Wort. (It helps me along, word by word.)

❓ Riddle Time

Ich habe viele Seiten, doch erzähl' keine Geschichte.
(I have many pages, but tell no story.)
Ich habe viel Wissen, doch kein eigenes Gedichte.
(I have much knowledge, but no poems of my own.)
Man schlägt mich auf, um schnell was zu erfahren,
(People open me to quickly learn something,)
statt mich von vorn bis hinten zu befahren.
(instead of travelling through me from front to back.)

Was bin ich? (What am I?)

Solution: Das Nachschlagewerk (The reference work)

🧩 Other Interesting Details

Word Composition (Etymology):

The word "Nachschlagewerk" is a compound noun, composed of:

• nachschlagen: This verb means "to look something up in a book or list". It originates from the physical action of opening (schlagen) a book to find something (nach).
• Werk: Here used in the sense of "book", "publication", or more generally "product of work".

Together, the meaning is thus: a work (book, resource) in which one can look things up.

Cultural Significance: Reference works like the "Duden" (for spelling and grammar) or the "Brockhaus" (encyclopedia) had, and in some cases still have, significant authority in the German language and cultural sphere.