die  Textur

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/tɛksˈtuːɐ̯/

🧐 What does 'die Textur' mean?

Die Textur (feminine noun, plural: die Texturen) describes the Beschaffenheit (quality, nature) or Struktur (structure) of a surface or material, how it can be felt or seen. It refers to how something is composed and feels – whether it's rough, smooth, grainy, soft, hard, etc.

Fields of application:

• 🍽️ Essen & Trinken (Food & Drink): The consistency and mouthfeel of food (e.g., die cremige Textur einer Suppe - the creamy texture of a soup).
• 🏺 Materialien & Oberflächen (Materials & Surfaces): The surface quality of fabrics, wood, stone, etc. (e.g., die raue Textur einer Ziegelwand - the rough texture of a brick wall).
• 🎨 Kunst & Design (Art & Design): The visible or tactile structure in artworks or designs.
• 💻 Computergraphik (Computer Graphics): A digital image applied to the surface of a 3D model to give it a realistic appearance (e.g., Holztextur - wood texture, Steinstruktur - stone structure).

There is only one article for this word: die Textur.

Article rules for der, die, and das

The Grammar of 'Textur' 📐

The word 'Textur' is a feminine noun. The article is always die.

Declension (Deklination):

Example Sentences (Beispielsätze) 📝

• Die Textur des Stoffes fühlt sich sehr weich an.
  (The texture of the fabric feels very soft.)
• Der Koch achtete besonders auf die unterschiedlichen Texturen im Gericht.
  (The chef paid special attention to the different textures in the dish.)
• In der Computergrafik wird oft mit hochauflösenden Texturen gearbeitet.
  (High-resolution textures are often used in computer graphics.)
• Die Textur der alten Holzbank war vom Wetter gezeichnet.
  (The texture of the old wooden bench was marked by the weather.)

Usage in Daily Life: How to use 'die Textur'?

The term 'Textur' is used in various contexts to describe the surface or structural quality.

• Cooking and Eating: People talk about the Textur of a dish to describe the feeling in the mouth (e.g., knackig - crunchy, cremig - creamy, zäh - chewy). "Die Textur dieser Mousse au Chocolat ist perfekt luftig." (The texture of this chocolate mousse is perfectly airy.)
• Materials: Describing the surface of fabrics, building materials, furniture, etc. "Ich mag die grobe Textur dieses Leinenstoffes." (I like the coarse texture of this linen fabric.)
• Art and Design: To describe visual or haptic (touchable) structures. "Der Künstler erzeugte durch dicken Farbauftrag eine interessante Textur." (The artist created an interesting texture by applying thick paint.)
• Digital World: In 3D graphics and games, Textur refers to the image applied to a model. "Die Texturen im neuen Spiel sehen unglaublich realistisch aus." (The textures in the new game look incredibly realistic.)

It's a rather specific term, often replaceable by more general words like Oberfläche (surface) or Beschaffenheit (quality/nature), but 'Textur' often emphasizes the detail of the structure or feel.

Mnemonics for 'die Textur' 🧠

Here are a couple of memory aids:

• Article Mnemonic: Many German nouns ending in -ur are feminine (die), like die Natur, die Kur, die Zensur, die Kultur... and die Textur. Think of the feminine ending -ur.
• Meaning Mnemonic: 'Textur' sounds like the English word 'texture', and they mean the same thing! Imagine 'testing' the 'texture' with your fingers.

Similar and Opposite Words 🔄

Potential Confusion:

• Textil: Refers to textiles or fabrics, not the surface quality itself (although textiles naturally have a Textur).

A Little Joke 😄

German: Fragt ein Designer den anderen: "Wie findest du die Textur dieser Wand?" Sagt der andere: "Fühlt sich irgendwie... tapeziert an!"

English Translation: One designer asks another: "What do you think of the texture of this wall?" The other replies: "Feels kind of... wallpapered!"

Poem about Textures 📜

German:
Die Welt ist voller Textur,
Von rau bis glatt, auf jeder Flur.
Die Haut so zart, der Stein so fest,
Die Seide weich, ein Fühlfest.
Im Essen knackt's, im Holz die Spur,
's ist die Gestalt, die Struktur.

English Translation:
The world is full of texture,
From rough to smooth, on every floor.
The skin so tender, the stone so firm,
The silk so soft, a festival of feel.
In food it crunches, in wood the trace,
It's the form, the structure's face.

Riddle Time 🤔

German:
Ich bin nicht glatt, ich bin nicht roh,
Ich bin das Fühlen, sowieso.
Auf Holz, auf Stoff, auf digitalem Bild,
Beschreib' ich, wie die Oberfläche wild
Oder sanft sich zeigt, in jeder Stund'.
Wie nennt man mich? Mach's kund!

English Translation:
I'm not smooth, I am not raw,
I am the feeling, that's the law.
On wood, on fabric, on digital screen,
I describe how the surface, wild
Or gentle, appears, every hour seen.
What am I called? Make it keen!

Solution: die Textur

Other Interesting Details 🤓

Word Origin: The word 'Textur' comes from the Latin word textūra, which originally meant 'weaving', 'structure', or 'composition'. This derives from the verb texere ('to weave', 'to braid', 'to construct').

Texture in Music: In music, one sometimes speaks of Textur to describe the density and interplay of different voices or instruments (e.g., homophonic, polyphonic texture).