der
Guss
🌧️🔩🎂 What does "der Guss" mean?
The noun der Guss (masculine) has several meanings:
- ⚙️ Technology & Craft: The process of shaping liquid material (often metal) by pouring it into a mold (das Gießen). The result of this process is also called der Guss or das Gussstück (casting). Example: Der Eisenguss ist eine alte Technik. (Iron casting is an old technique.)
- 🌧️ Weather: A heavy, sudden rainfall, often referred to as a downpour or cloudburst (der Platzregen, der Wolkenbruch). Example: Wir wurden von einem heftigen Guss überrascht. (We were caught by a heavy downpour.)
- 🎂 Cooking & Baking: A liquid mixture (often sugar, chocolate, or lemon based) poured over pastries that hardens (glaze or icing). Example: Der Kuchen bekommt noch einen Schokoladen-Guss. (The cake still needs a chocolate glaze.)
- 💧 General: The act of pouring a liquid. Example: Ein Guss Wasser für die durstigen Pflanzen. (A pouring of water for the thirsty plants.)
⚠️ Although the meanings differ, they all relate to the act of pouring or its result.
Article rules for der, die, and das
-us/-uss/-uß → mostly masculine.
Including -ismus nouns (100% masculine, e.g. der Tourismus)
🧐 Grammar of "der Guss" in Detail
The word "Guss" is a masculine noun. Here is its declension:
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der | Guss |
| Genitive | des | Gusses |
| Dative | dem | Guss / Gusse |
| Accusative | den | Guss |
| Case | Article | Noun |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | die | Güsse |
| Genitive | der | Güsse |
| Dative | den | Güssen |
| Accusative | die | Güsse |
💡 Example Sentences
- Der Guss der Glocke dauerte mehrere Stunden. (The casting of the bell took several hours.)
- Nach dem kurzen, heftigen Guss schien wieder die Sonne. (After the short, heavy downpour, the sun shone again.)
- Möchtest du einen Zitronen- oder Schokoladenguss auf dem Kuchen? (Would you like a lemon or chocolate glaze on the cake?)
- Der letzte Guss Wasser rettete die Pflanze vor dem Vertrocknen. (The last pouring of water saved the plant from drying out.)
🔧 How to use "Guss"?
- In a technical context: When talking about Guss, it usually refers to the process (Metallguss - metal casting, Spritzguss - injection molding) or the product (ein Guss aus Bronze - a bronze casting).
- In weather reports: Here, Guss describes a heavy rain shower. Often used in the phrase "wie aus Güssen regnen" (to rain cats and dogs / to pour down).
- In baking: Refers to the glaze or icing applied to cakes or pastries.
- Potential confusion: The verb gießen (to pour) is the base. Der Guss is the corresponding noun. Don't confuse it with der Kuss (kiss).
- Idiom: "Alles aus einem Guss" literally means "everything from one casting/pouring". It implies that something appears very harmonious, coherent, and well-integrated, as if made in one piece or according to a single plan.
🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids
Remembering the article: Think of der Regenguss (the downpour) or der Eisenguss (the iron casting). Both evoke strong, 'masculine' images that fit the article der.
Remembering the meaning: Imagine something flowing (gießen means to pour/flow) and then taking shape or covering a surface: Metal flows into a mold (Guss), rain flows from the sky (Guss), glaze flows over a cake (Guss). The 'flowing' or 'pouring' is the core idea.
🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms (similar meaning):
- For casting/molding: das Gießen, das Gussverfahren, das Gussstück
- For rain: der Schauer, der Platzregen, der Wolkenbruch, der Regenschauer (shower, downpour, cloudburst)
- For glaze: die Glasur, der Überzug (glaze, coating)
- For pouring (general): das Gießen, das Schütten
Antonyms (opposite meaning):
- For rain: die Trockenheit, die Dürre, der Sonnenschein (dryness, drought, sunshine)
- For casting (process): das Schmieden, das Fräsen (forging, milling - other shaping methods)
- There are no direct antonyms for the 'glaze' or 'general pouring' meanings.
Similar but different words:
😄 A Little Joke
Warum hat der Bäcker den Kuchen zweimal mit Guss überzogen?
Er wollte sichergehen, dass er "aus einem Guss" ist!
Translation: Why did the baker glaze the cake twice?
He wanted to make sure it was "all of a piece" / perfectly integrated! (Pun on the idiom "aus einem Guss")
📜 A Short Poem
Der Himmel weint in wildem Guss,
Der Bäcker rührt den süßen Guss.
In Formen fließt der Metall-Guss,
Ein Wort, drei Welten, welch Genuss!
Translation:
The sky cries in a wild downpour (Guss),
The baker stirs the sweet glaze (Guss).
Into molds flows the metal casting (Guss),
One word, three worlds, what a delight!
❓ Riddle Time
Ich kann vom Himmel fallen,
Auf Kuchen süß zerfließen,
Und heißem Metall Form verleihen.
Was bin ich?
Translation:
I can fall from the sky,
Melt sweetly onto cakes,
And give shape to hot metal.
What am I?
Solution: der Guss
🧩 Other Interesting Info
Word Formation: Der Guss is directly derived from the verb gießen (to pour). Many German nouns describing an action are formed this way (e.g., schießen -> der Schuss, fließen -> der Fluss).
Compounds: The word is part of many compound nouns that specify the meaning: Eisenguss (iron casting), Kunstguss (art casting), Regenguss (downpour), Zuckerguss (sugar glaze), Spritzguss (injection molding).
📝 Summary: is it der, die or das Guss?
The word Guss is always masculine: der Guss. It describes the casting of materials (der Eisenguss), heavy rain (der Regenguss), or a glaze/icing (der Zuckerguss). The plural form is die Güsse.