Ziegenbock

billy goat

noun TSEE-gen-bok Rare

Also means

male goat

Usage Note

Ziegenbock is the male domestic goat; the colloquial phrase stinken wie ein Ziegenbock ('to stink like a billy goat') is a common German simile for strong body odour. Bucks are kept mainly for breeding.

Examples

"Der Ziegenbock war für die ganze Herde verantwortlich."

Natural Translation

The billy goat was responsible for the whole herd.

Literal Translation

The billy-goat was for the whole herd responsible.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Compound Words: How to Read Any Long Word

Read any long German word by working right-to-left: the last noun sets the meaning and gender, and the small linking letters are just glue. Here's the drill.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

Der, Die, Das: Rules to Guess German Gender

German noun gender rules made simple: check the suffix first, then meaning. Endings like -ung, -chen, and -ling predict der, die, or das with ~90% accuracy.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Cases Explained Simply (4 Cases)

German has four cases, and each answers one question: wer, wen, wem, wessen. Learn nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive without drowning in charts.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Modal Verbs: Können, Müssen, Wollen and More

German modal verbs put the modal in position 2 and the real verb at the end. Master können, müssen, wollen and the rest with charts and clear examples.

June 5, 2026 5 min read