411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
A und O
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
German
Etymology
From de grc -. From the biblical book of Revelation, verses 1:8 and 22:13. The expression refers to God as “the beginning and the end”, the letter omega being the last of the Greek alphabet.
Pronunciation
de LL-Q188 (deu)-Frank C. Müller-A und O.wav
de De-A und O.ogg <<Germany>> (<<Berlin>>)
Noun
n,-.sg
de colloquial that which is important; that which matters; a sine qua non
de Um und Auf
de Gute Kohle ist das A und O beim Grillen. Good charcoal is the most important part of barbecuing.
de Wolf Friederich Moderne Deutsche Idiomatik Max Hueber Verlag München 1976 Die Entwicklung eines guten Sprachgefühls ist das A und O beim Erlernen einer Fremdsprache. The development of a good intuitive grasp of a language is the sine qua non in the learning of a foreign language.
de Biblical possibly _ dated alpha and omega
Usage notes
Always used with article, i.e. das A und O.
The biblical expression is not usually translated with these words now. For example, in the Einheitsübersetzung verse 22:13 runs: “Ich bin das Alpha und das Omega, der Erste und der Letzte, der Anfang und das Ende.”
Declension
n,-.sg
Further reading