immer

Etymology

From Icelandic himbrimi (“surf roarer”).

Noun

immer (plural immers)

1. A bird in genus Gavia.

References

• immer on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Gavia immer on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Category:Gavia immer on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Etymology

From Middle Dutch immer (“always”), from Old Dutch iomer (“always”). From ie (“always”) +‎ meer (“more”). Related to ieder, iemand, iets, ooit. Cognate with German immer, German Low German immer, ümmer, jümmer, jümmers.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪmər

Adverb

immer

1. (formal) always

   Synonyms: altijd, altoos

   Hij is immer beleefd tegen iedereen.

   He is always polite to everyone.

   Het museum is immer geopend, zelfs op feestdagen.

   The museum is open always, even on holidays.

Etymology

From Middle High German immer (also iemer, imer), from Old High German iomēr (“always”). From io (“always”) +‎ mēr (“more”). Cognate with Dutch immer, German Low German immer, ümmer, jümmer, jümmers, Middle English a mare, aa mare (“evermore”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪmɐ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Austria):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪmɐ

Adverb

immer

1. always
   1. at all times without exception

      Irgendwo scheint immer die Sonne.

      The sun is always shining somewhere.

   2. very often; all the time; constantly

      Er will immer nur fernsehen.

      He just wants to watch telly all the time.

   3. every time; whenever some precondition is given

      Er erzählt immer dieselbe Geschichte.

      He always tells that same story.

2. (with comparative) to a greater degree over time, more and more

   Es wird immer kälter. ― It's getting colder and colder.

3. (colloquial, unstressed) used to emphasize another adverb of time, which itself is stressed

   Er kommt immer nie pünktlich. ― He’s never on time.

   Ich bin oft immer sehr vergesslich. ― I’m often very forgetful.

   Manchmal hab ich immer das Gefühl, dass... ― Sometimes I get the feeling that...

See also

• meistens
• manchmal
• selten
• nie
• ewig

Further reading

• “immer” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• Friedrich Kluge (1883) “immer”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891

Alternative forms

• ümmer, jümmer, jümber, jümmers (der neue Sass)

Etymology

From Middle Low German immer, imber, iemmer, jummer, iemer, imer, from Old Saxon iomēr, eomēr, equivalent to je +‎ mehr.

Adverb

immer

1. always; forever

References

• Der neue SASS: Plattdeutsches Wörterbuch, Plattdeutsch - Hochdeutsch, Hochdeutsch - Plattdeutsch. Plattdeutsche Rechtschreibung, sixth revised edition (2011, →ISBN, Wachholtz Verlag, Neumünster)

Etymology

From Middle High German immer, iemer, imer, from Old High German iomēr (“always”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *aiwaz (“long time”) + *maiz (“more”). Related to Dutch immer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈimɐ/

Adverb

immer

1. always

   Du machst das immer.

   You always do that.

   Es is immer so.

   It's always like this.

   Sie nemmd immer eere grose Tasch mit.

   She always takes her big purse with her.

Further reading

• Online Hunsrik Dictionary

Adverb

immer

1. Alternative form of emmer

Noun

immer

1. mother

Further reading

• de Laet, Johannes (1633) Novus orbis seu descriptionis Indiæ occidentalis, Libri XVIII, page 642