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gotterdammerung - 2 dictionary results

Göt⋅ter⋅däm⋅mer⋅ung

[got-er-dam-uh-roong, -ruhng; Ger. gœt-uhr-dem-uh-roong]
–noun
1. German Mythology. the destruction of the gods and of all things in a final battle with evil powers: erroneous modern translation of the Old Icelandic Ragnarǫk, meaning “fate of the gods,” misunderstood as Ragnarökkr, meaning “twilight of the gods.”
2. (italics) the final opera of Richard Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelung.

Origin:
1875–80; < G, equiv. to Götter, pl. of Gott God + Dämmerung twilight
göt·ter·däm·mer·ung or Göt·ter·däm·mer·ung   (gŏt'ər-dām'ə-rŭng', gɶt'ər-děm'ə-rŏŏng')   
n.  A turbulent ending of a regime or an institution: "The nation had been flirting with forms of götterdämmerung, with extremes of vocabulary and behavior and an appetite for violent resolution" (Lance Morrow).

[After Götterdämmerung, an opera by Richard Wagner, from German, twilight of the gods : Götter, genitive pl. of Gott, god (from Middle High German got, from Old High German; see gheu(ə)- in Indo-European roots) + Dämmerung, twilight (from Middle High German demerunge, from Old High German demerunga, from demar, twilight).]
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