die  Stütze

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈʃtʏtsə/

🏗️ What exactly is a Stütze?

The word die Stütze (feminine) has several meanings, all revolving around the concept of support:

• Physical Support: An object that carries or stabilizes something, e.g., a Pfeiler (pillar), a Säule (column), a Krücke (crutch), or a Balken (beam). Example: Die alte Brücke braucht dringend neue Stützen. (The old bridge urgently needs new supports.)
• Financial Support: Regular financial aid, often from the state or an organization; colloquially, unemployment benefit or social welfare. Example: Nach dem Jobverlust war er auf Stütze angewiesen. (After losing his job, he depended on benefits.)
• Emotional/Moral Support: A person who provides stability and assistance to someone else. Example: In schweren Zeiten war sie ihm eine große Stütze. (In hard times, she was a great support to him.)
• Medical Support: An orthopedic device that supports a body part (e.g., a Halskrause (neck brace), Handgelenkstütze (wrist support)). Example: Nach dem Unfall musste er eine Stütze für sein Knie tragen. (After the accident, he had to wear a brace for his knee.)

🚨 Important: Although often used colloquially for state benefits, the official term is usually more specific (e.g., Arbeitslosengeld for unemployment benefit, Sozialhilfe for social welfare).

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar in Detail: Die Stütze

Die Stütze is a feminine noun. Here is its declension:

📝 Example Sentences

• Die zentrale Stütze des Daches ist beschädigt. (The central support of the roof is damaged.)
• Wir müssen die Stütze ersetzen. (We have to replace the support.)
• Er dankte seiner Frau als seiner wichtigsten Stütze. (He thanked his wife as his most important support.)
• Die Tragfähigkeit der Stütze ist begrenzt. (The load-bearing capacity of the support is limited.)
• Viele Brücken werden von massiven Stützen getragen. (Many bridges are carried by massive supports.)
• Man sieht die Stützen schon von Weitem. (You can see the supports from afar.)
• Die Last verteilt sich auf alle Stützen. (The load is distributed among all supports.)
• Die Statik der Stützen wurde überprüft. (The statics of the supports were checked.)

💡 Context Matters: When to use Stütze

Die Stütze is used in various contexts:

• Bauwesen/Architektur (Construction/Architecture): Clearly refers to load-bearing elements like columns or pillars. (e.g., "Die Stützen dieser Halle sind aus Stahlbeton." - The supports of this hall are made of reinforced concrete.)
• Finanzen/Soziales (Finance/Social matters): Often a short form for state support like unemployment benefits or social welfare. Sounds somewhat informal. (e.g., "Er lebt von der Stütze." - He lives on benefits.) Better: "Er bezieht Arbeitslosengeld." (He receives unemployment benefits.)
• Zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen (Interpersonal relationships): Describes a person providing emotional stability. Has a very positive connotation. (e.g., "Meine beste Freundin ist mir eine große Stütze." - My best friend is a great support to me.)
• Medizin (Medicine): Refers to orthopedic aids like braces or splints. (e.g., "Der Arzt verschrieb ihm eine Stütze für den Rücken." - The doctor prescribed him a support for his back.)

Distinction: While die Stütze often refers to a specific object, person, or financial benefit, die Unterstützung is more abstract, generally referring to the act of helping or the help itself.

🧠 Memory Aids for Stütze

• Article Mnemonic: Think of 'die' helping hand (often metaphorically feminine) or 'die' Säule (the column, also feminine in German) – both are forms of support (Stütze). Therefore, die Stütze is feminine.
• Meaning Mnemonic: Imagine a statue (die Statue - feminine) needing a Stütze to avoid falling. This Stütze could be a pillar (physical), money (financial), or a person (emotional).

A Stütze, strong and so polite, / Holds things together, day and night. / It helps your leg, your cash flow too, / And bids your worries 'adieu!' / Because it's often kind, you see, / It always takes the article 'die'.

🔄 Synonyms & Antonyms

⚠️ Similar Words:

• Die Stutze: (obsolete or regional) Short-cropped hair or a clipped animal hide. Don't confuse them!
• stutzen (verb): To trim/prune (e.g., Hecke stutzen - trim a hedge) or to make someone pause/think/be taken aback ("Das stutzte ihn." - That made him pause/surprised him.).

😄 A Little Joke

Fragt der Statiker den Architekten: "Ist diese Stütze wirklich notwendig?"
Sagt der Architekt: "Keine Ahnung, aber sie stützt meine These, dass das Haus sonst zusammenfällt!"

Translation:
The structural engineer asks the architect: "Is this support really necessary?"
The architect replies: "No idea, but it supports my theory that the house would collapse otherwise!"

📜 Poem about the Stütze

Die Stütze, stark und oft verkannt,
Reicht helfend ihre feste Hand.
Ob Stein, ob Herz, ob klammer Kasse,
Sie hält's empor, die ganze Masse.

Als Pfeiler trotzt sie Wind und Zeit,
Als Freund vertreibt sie Einsamkeit.
Als Hilfe, wenn das Geld mal fehlt,
Ist sie's, die uns am Leben hält.

Translation:
The support, strong and often unseen,
Offers its helping hand, firm and keen.
Whether stone, or heart, or empty purse,
It holds things up, through better or worse.

As a pillar, it defies wind and time,
As a friend, it dispels loneliness's grime.
As aid, when money is scarce and low,
It's what keeps us going, helps us grow.

🤔 Riddle

Ich trage Lasten, schwer und groß,
Bin manchmal Trost im Erdenstoß.
Ich helfe Beinen, schwach und müd',
Und mancher kriegt durch mich Kredit.

Mal bin ich Holz, mal Stahl, mal Stein,
Mal bin ich nur ein guter Schein (Freund).
Man braucht mich oft, bin sehr probat,
Und trage 'die' im Akkusativ und im Nominativ als Attribut.

Wer bin ich?

Translation:
I carry loads, both heavy and large,
Sometimes I'm comfort on life's barge.
I help legs that are weak and tired,
And some get financial help (lit. credit) through me, inspired.

Sometimes I'm wood, sometimes steel, sometimes stone,
Sometimes just a good friend (lit. good appearance), not alone.
I'm often needed, proven and tested,
And I carry 'die' in accusative and nominative cases, as requested.

Who am I?

Solution: die Stütze (the support)

🧩 Further Details

Wortbildung (Word Formation): The noun die Stütze derives from the verb stützen, which means "to support," "to lean on something," or "to secure."

Interessant (Interesting): Figuratively, an important person or a fundamental pillar of an organization can also be called a "Stütze" (e.g., "Sie ist eine Stütze der Firma." - She is a pillar/mainstay of the company.).