die  Cholera

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈkoːlɛʁa/

🦠 What exactly is 'die Cholera'?

Die Cholera (noun, feminine) refers to a severe bacterial infectious disease primarily affecting the small intestine. It's caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which is usually ingested through contaminated drinking water or food.

Key symptoms include severe, watery diarrhea (often described as "rice-water stool") and vomiting, which can quickly lead to severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. If left untreated, die Cholera can be life-threatening. ⚠️

The word is almost exclusively used in medical or historical contexts.

🧐 Grammar of 'die Cholera' in Detail

The noun 'Cholera' is feminine. It is generally only used in the singular form because it refers to a specific disease. A plural form exists theoretically ('die Choleren'), but it is extremely uncommon in general usage and, if used at all, refers to different outbreaks or strains of the disease in very specific technical contexts.

Declension Singular

📖 Example Sentences

• Die Cholera breitete sich im 19. Jahrhundert in Europa epidemisch aus.
  (Cholera spread epidemically in Europe in the 19th century.)
• Der Arzt diagnostizierte einen schweren Fall von Cholera.
  (The doctor diagnosed a severe case of cholera.)
• Sauberes Trinkwasser ist der beste Schutz vor der Cholera.
  (Clean drinking water is the best protection against cholera.)
• Die Symptome der Cholera können sehr plötzlich auftreten.
  (The symptoms of cholera can appear very suddenly.)

🗣️ Usage Scenarios

The term 'Cholera' is primarily used in the following contexts:

• Medical: To denote the specific disease, its symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.
• Historical: In relation to past epidemics and their societal impact (e.g., die Cholera-Epidemien in Hamburg).
• Public Health: In discussions about prevention, hygiene, and water supply, especially in developing countries or after natural disasters.

In everyday life, the word is rarely used unless specifically discussing the disease or its history. It's not a general term for diarrheal diseases.

Sometimes it's used metaphorically (though rarely and rather archaically) for a major plague or evil, but this is no longer common. 🚨 Caution: Such metaphorical use can seem trivializing.

🧠 Mnemonics for 'die Cholera'

Article Mnemonic: Many diseases in German are feminine. Think: "Die Krankheit (the disease), die Pest (the plague), die Grippe (the flu)... and also die Cholera."

Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine someone shouting in alarm, "Oh dear, the water's cold and erratic!" This sounds a bit like 'Cholera' and hints at the contaminated water source.

🔄 Synonyms and Antonyms

😂 A Little Joke

German: Fragt der Arzt den Patienten: "Haben Sie Probleme mit dem Stuhlgang?"
Patient: "Nein, Herr Doktor, nur ohne!"

English Translation: The doctor asks the patient: "Do you have problems with bowel movements ('Stuhlgang' literally means 'chair movement')?"
Patient: "No, doctor, only without them!"

(Note: This joke plays on digestive issues in general, not specifically cholera, as jokes about it are difficult and potentially tasteless.)

📜 Poem about the Disease

Die Cholera schleicht heran

Wo Wasser trüb und unrein fließt,
Ein Keim erwacht, der Schrecken schießt.
Die Cholera, mit kalter Hand,
Greift um sich schnell im ganzen Land.

Der Körper welkt, verliert die Kraft,
Vom Wasserfluss dahingerafft.
Doch Hygiene, klar und rein,
Kann dieser Plage Dämmung sein.

English Translation:

Cholera Creeps Near

Where water flows, murky and unclean,
A germ awakes, a dreadful scene.
Cholera, with its icy hand,
Spreads swiftly throughout the land.

The body withers, loses might,
Swept away by watery plight.
But hygiene, clear and pure,
Can be this plague's restraining cure.

❓ Riddle Time

German:

Ich komme oft durch Wasser rein,
mach' Magen und Darm ganz schnell ganz klein.
Mein Name klingt, als wär' ich zornig fast,
doch bin 'ne Krankheit, eine schwere Last.
Vor allem früher war ich sehr gefürchtet,
bis man die Hygiene mehr berücksichtigt'.

Was bin ich? Lösung: die Cholera

English Translation:

I often enter through water impure,
making stomach and gut quickly demure.
My name sounds almost as if I were cross,
but I'm a disease, a heavy loss.
Especially earlier, I was greatly feared,
until hygiene was more revered.

What am I? Answer: Cholera (die Cholera)

🤓 Trivia and Etymology

• Etymology: The word "Cholera" comes from the Greek word kholéra (χολέρα), which originally meant "bilious diarrhea" (from kholḗ = bile). It was mistakenly believed that an excess of bile was the cause.
• History: Major cholera pandemics in the 19th century led to significant advances in public hygiene and epidemiology, e.g., through the work of John Snow in London or Robert Koch, who identified the pathogen (der Erreger).
• Vaccination (die Impfung): Vaccines against cholera exist, but they do not offer complete or lifelong protection and are mainly recommended for travelers to high-risk areas or during outbreaks.