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u-boat

a German submarine

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Where does the word "u-boat" come from? It comes from German U-Boot, and was adopted directly into English (1910s).

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Where does the word "u-boat" come from? It comes from German U-Boot, and was adopted directly into English (1910s).

U-boat’s story begins in German: U-Boot meant “submarine.” Short for 'Unterseeboot', undersea boat. It reached English by 1910s as U-boat. Used during the First World War, when U-boats sank the Lusitania in 1915. Today, u-boat means a German submarine.

  1. Stage 1 · German · 1900s U-Boot "submarine", short for 'Unterseeboot', undersea boat.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1910s U-boat "German submarine", used during the First World War, when U-boats sank the Lusitania in 1915.

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