Meanings
plural Nibelungs · plural Nibelungen
- Germanichuman sciencesA member of a supernatural underground race that guarded treasures and gold searched for and eventually seized by Siegfried.
The Song of the Nibelungen, and the Lament.
1814, Robert Jamieson, Walter Scott, Henry William Weber, Illustrations of northern antiquities, from the earlier Tentonie and Scandinavian romances: being an abstract of the Book of heroes, and Nibelungen lay; with translation of metrical tales, from the Old German, Danish, Swedish, and Icelandie languages; with notes and dissertations., Edinburgh: Printed by J. Ballantyne and co., for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, Of the Teutonic Cyclus of Romance, page 251 more example
[…] and at the same Time flattered himself, that the Lombards and People of Acquitaine, whom he had lately conquered, having Kings of their own, would not be so easily tempted to shake off the Yoke, as if their Countries were made Provinces of France. [footnote] Eginhard. in vit. Carol. Chron. Nibelung. in appendice. Annal. Moiffiac.
1759, Archibald Bower, The History of the Popes: From the Foundation of the See of Rome to the Present Time, volume 4, London: Author, Hadrian, Ninety—Fourth Bishop of Rome, page 62
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*nebulaz
- Old High Germannibel“mist”
- GermanNibelung
- EnglishNibelung
From German Nibelung, a singular form corresponding to the plural Nibelungen; from Old High German nibel (“mist”) + the patronymic ending -ung, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *nebulaz + *-ungō.
More words from German, Old High German, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 尼伯龙人
- 尼伯龙人member of an underground, treasure-guarding race in Germanic mythology
Dutch Neveling
- Nevelingmember of an underground, treasure-guarding race in Germanic mythology
German Nibelung
- Nibelungmember of an underground, treasure-guarding race in Germanic mythology
Portuguese nibelungo
- nibelungomember of an underground, treasure-guarding race in Germanic mythology
Spanish nibelungo
- nibelungomember of an underground, treasure-guarding race in Germanic mythology
Cite this entry
Nibelung. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Nibelung
“Nibelung.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Nibelung. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Nibelung,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Nibelung.
Source: Nibelung on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.