die  Enthüllung

C1

Estimated CEFR level.

/ɛntˈhʏlʊŋ/

🔍 What exactly is an Enthüllung?

The noun die Enthüllung (feminine) generally describes the act of uncovering or making known something previously hidden, secret, or unknown.

It primarily has two meanings:

1. The disclosure of information: This often refers to the publication of secrets, scandals, or surprising facts (e.g., by journalists or whistleblowers).
2. The ceremonial removal of a covering: This typically happens during the inauguration or unveiling of a monument, plaque, or work of art.

It is a noun derived from the verb enthüllen (to uncover, unveil). German nouns ending in -ung are almost always feminine (die).

Article rules for der, die, and das

📊 Grammar Spotlight: Die Enthüllung

Die Enthüllung is a feminine noun. Here are the declension tables:

Singular

Plural

💡 Example Sentences

• Die Enthüllung des Skandals erschütterte die politische Landschaft.
  (The revelation of the scandal shook the political landscape.)
• Wir warten gespannt auf die Enthüllung des neuen Denkmals.
  (We are eagerly awaiting the unveiling of the new monument.)
• Die Zeitung brachte gestern brisante Enthüllungen über den Konzern.
  (The newspaper published explosive disclosures about the company yesterday.)
• Nach der Enthüllung musste der Minister zurücktreten.
  (After the revelation, the minister had to resign.)

💬 How is 'Enthüllung' used?

Die Enthüllung is used in various contexts:

• Journalism & Media: Here, it often refers to the exposure of malpractice, corruption, or secret information (e.g., investigative Enthüllungen - investigative revelations/disclosures).
• Politics & Business: In connection with scandals, affairs, or the disclosure of important, previously unknown facts.
• Arts & Culture: Describes the act of ceremonially presenting a new artwork, monument, or plaque (the unveiling).
• Personal Sphere: Can also mean the revelation of a personal secret or a surprising truth, but is less common here than words like Geständnis (confession) or Offenbarung (revelation).

Comparison: While die Enthüllung often has an investigative or planned character (actively uncovering something or ceremonially unveiling something), die Offenbarung (revelation) can also be more sudden or even spiritual in nature.

🧠 Mnemonics for Enthüllung

Article Mnemonic (die): Nouns ending in -ung are almost always feminine (die). Think of the sound "ung" like a gong being strung and struck at a grand unveiling ceremony – ceremonies often feature prominent women (die Frau).

Meaning Mnemonic: The word contains "Hülle" (cover, hull, wrap). The prefix ent- often means "un-" or "de-". So, ent-hüllen means to remove the cover. Die Enthüllung is the moment the "Hülle" is removed – revealing a secret or a statue!

↔️ Opposites and Similarities

⚠️ Caution: Die Offenbarung (revelation) can be similar but often carries a stronger, sometimes religious or very personal connotation of a sudden insight.

😂 A Little Joke

Warum nehmen Archäologen immer eine Decke mit zur Ausgrabung?

Damit die Spannung bis zur großen Enthüllung bleibt! 😉

(Why do archaeologists always take a blanket to the excavation site?)

(To keep the suspense until the big unveiling!) 😉

📜 Poem about Enthüllung

Ein Tuch fällt sanft, verbarg die Sicht,
was drunter liegt, kommt nun ans Licht.
Ein Stein, ein Bild, ein Monument,
die Menge staunt in dem Moment.

Auch Wahrheit, tief im Dunkeln schwer,
kommt durch Enthüllung oft daher.
Was lang geheim, wird offenbar,
die Welt erfährt, wie's wirklich war.

(A cloth falls softly, hid the view,
What lies beneath, now comes through.
A stone, a picture, monument,
The crowd stares in that moment.)

(Also truth, deep in darkness severe,
Through revelation often comes here.
What long was secret, becomes disclosed,
The world learns how it truly posed.)

❓ Riddle Time

Ich lüfte Schleier und Geheimnis,
bring ans Licht so manches Ärgernis.
Mal feierlich vor großem Kreis,
mal schlag ich ein wie heißes Eis.
Manchmal deck ich Skandale auf,
manchmal beginnt mit mir ein neuer Lauf.

Was bin ich?

(I lift veils and secrets,
Bring to light many annoyances.
Sometimes ceremonially before a large circle,
Sometimes I hit like hot ice.
Sometimes I uncover scandals,
Sometimes a new course begins with me.)

(What am I?)

Solution: die Enthüllung (the revelation/unveiling/disclosure)

🧩 Further Details

Word Composition:

The word Enthüllung is composed of:

• ent-: A prefix often indicating reversal, removal, or the start of an action (as in entdecken - to discover, entfernen - to remove).
• Hülle: The noun for a cover, casing, or wrap.
• -ung: A suffix that nominalizes verbs (turns verbs into nouns), usually denoting a process or its result. It makes the noun feminine.

Thus, Enthüllung literally describes the result of the process 'to remove the cover'.