Meanings
- An independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany.
- A rural district of Lower Saxony, Germany, partially surrounding but not including the city of Osnabrück, which nevertheless serves as its administrative seat.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*av-“watercourse”
- Old SaxonOsnabrugga
- GermanOsnabrück
- EnglishOsnabrück
From German Osnabrück, from Old Saxon Osnabrugga (literally “bridge of the Osna”), an old name for the river Hase. This name goes back to an earlier *Ausana, an older Pre-Germanic name for the river, said to be an Old European hydronym, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *av- (“watercourse”), extended with -s. However, compare Proto-Germanic *ausaną (“to scoop up”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews-. Doublet of osnaburg.
More words from German, Old Saxon, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Dutch Osnabrück, Osnabrugge
- Osnabrückcity in Lower Saxony
- Osnabruggecity in Lower Saxony
- Osenbruggecity in Lower Saxony
Esperanto Osnabruko
- Osnabrukocity in Lower Saxony
German Osnabrück, Osnabrick
- Osnabrückcity in Lower Saxony
- Osnabrickcity in Lower Saxony
Hebrew אוסנבריק
- אוסנבריקcity in Lower Saxony
Hindi ऑस्नाब्रुक
- ऑस्नाब्रुक (ŏsnābruk)city in Lower Saxony
Lithuanian Osnabriukas
- Osnabriukascity in Lower Saxony
Polish Osnabrück
- Osnabrückcity in Lower Saxony
Russian Оснабрю́к
- Оснабрю́к (Osnabrjúk)city in Lower Saxony
Cite this entry
Osnabrück. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Osnabr%C3%BCck
“Osnabrück.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Osnabr%C3%BCck. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Osnabrück,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Osnabr%C3%BCck.
Source: Osnabrück on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.