die  Sintflut

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈzɪntfluːt/

🌊 What does "die Sintflut" mean?

Die Sintflut primarily refers to a huge, catastrophic flood, often with a mythical or religious background. The most famous example is the biblical Flood from the story of Noah and his Ark (die Arche Noah).

Figuratively, die Sintflut is also used to describe an overwhelming amount or deluge of something.

• Main meaning: The great, mythical/biblical flood (the Deluge).
• Figurative meaning: A very large, almost unmanageable quantity (e.g., eine Sintflut von Anfragen - a deluge of inquiries).

🚨 The word is almost exclusively used in the singular (der Singular). The plural (der Plural), die Sintfluten, is very rare and mostly found in literary or poetic contexts, perhaps suggesting various great flood events or recurring disasters.

🧐 Grammar in Detail: Die Sintflut

The noun "Sintflut" is feminine (feminin). It is normally used only in the singular.

Example Sentences

1. Die Bibel erzählt von der großen Sintflut.
   The Bible tells of the great Flood.
2. Nach der Werbeaktion erlebte das Unternehmen eine Sintflut von Bestellungen.
   After the advertising campaign, the company experienced a deluge of orders.
3. Der Legende nach überlebten nur wenige die Sintflut.
   According to legend, only a few survived the Flood.

💬 How to use "Sintflut"?

The use of die Sintflut is highly context-dependent:

• Religious/Mythological Context: Here, the word directly refers to the great flood catastrophe described in various myths and religious texts (especially the Bible). Example: Die Geschichte der Sintflut und der Arche Noah ist weltbekannt. (The story of the Flood and Noah's Ark is world-famous.)
• Figurative Context: It describes an overwhelming amount or excess of things, often with a negative connotation (too much, uncontrollable). Examples: Nach dem Systemausfall gab es eine Sintflut an Beschwerden. (After the system failure, there was a deluge of complaints.) Er ertrank in einer Sintflut von Arbeit. (He was drowning in a flood of work.)
• Meteorological Context (rare, colloquial): Sometimes used hyperbolically for extremely heavy rain, but less precise than Starkregen (heavy rain) or Sturzflut (flash flood). Example: Gestern kam eine wahre Sintflut vom Himmel! (Yesterday, a real deluge came from the sky!)

Don't confuse it with a normal Überschwemmung (flood) or Hochwasser (high water), which can be severe but lack the catastrophic, world-altering scale of the Sintflut.

💡 Mnemonics for Sintflut

For the article (die): Think of die Flut (the flood). Floods, like forces of nature, are often grammatically feminine in German. So: die Flut -> die Sintflut.

For the meaning: The old German word "sin" (in Old/Middle High German) meant "everlasting", "continuous", "general", or "great". So, the "Sint-Flut" is a "continuous, general, great flood". Alternatively, link it to the English word 'sin' for the biblical context: the flood came because of sin -> Sintflut.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Caution: While Überschwemmung describes a common, real event, Sintflut usually carries a mythical or at least highly exaggerated connotation.

😂 A Little Joke

Noah fragt seine Frau: "Schatz, hast du die beiden Mücken gesehen?"
Sie: "Nein, wieso?"
Noah: "Mist, ich habe sie gerade erschlagen! Jetzt beginnt die Sintflut und wir haben keine Mücken an Bord!"

Translation:
Noah asks his wife: "Honey, have you seen those two mosquitoes?"
She: "No, why?"
Noah: "Darn, I just swatted them! Now the Flood is starting, and we don't have any mosquitoes on board!"

📜 Poem about the Flood

Der Himmel weint, die Schleusen offen,
Ein Meer aus Grau, kein Grund zum Hoffen.
Die Welt versinkt in nasser Pracht,
Die Sintflut kommt mit voller Macht.
Wasser steigt von Stund zu Stund,
Macht alles Leben ungesund.
Nur eine Arche, klein und licht,
Schwimmt einsam durch das Weltgericht.

Translation:
The sky weeps, the floodgates open,
A sea of grey, no reason for hoping.
The world sinks in wet splendour,
The Deluge comes with full power.
Water rises hour by hour,
Makes all life unhealthy, sour.
Only an ark, small and bright,
Floats lonely through the final judgment's night.

❓ Riddle

Ich komme mit Wasser, doch bin kein Fluss,
Bring Tieren und Menschen oft den Schluss.
Eine Arche kennt man aus meiner Zeit,
Ich bedecke das Land, weit und breit.

Wer bin ich?

Translation:
I come with water, but am no river,
To animals and humans, I often deliver the end.
An ark is known from my time,
I cover the land, vast and wide.

What am I?

Solution: die Sintflut (the Deluge / the Great Flood)

🧩 Other Information

Etymology

The word "Sintflut" comes from Middle High German sinvluot. The first part "sin-" originally meant "everlasting", "comprehensive", "general", "great". Thus, "Sintflut" literally means a "general, great flood". The connection to sin (die Sünde), as mentioned in the mnemonic, is a later folk etymology.

Cultural Significance

The Great Flood (die Sintflut) is a widespread motif in many cultures and mythologies worldwide (e.g., the Epic of Gilgamesh in Mesopotamia, Deucalion in Greece, Manu in India), not just in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam through the story of Noah (Noah). It often symbolizes destruction, purification, and a new beginning (Zerstörung, Reinigung und Neuanfang).