German words you need to know: Pappsatt

Pappsatt is a colloquial adjective used to describe feeling especially stuffed after eating: ‘as full as a tick’ or 'fit to burst', some may say in English. Other than being a rather satisfying word to say, its derivation is intriguing. Among other definitions, the word satt refers to feeling ‘full’ and ‘sated’, so it is papp which conveys the emphasis of feeling full to the point of bursting. 

Papp in specific regions translates to the word ‘mush’, while Papp- as an attributive noun (from the German Pappe) translates to ‘cardboard’. The digital German dictionary Digitales Wörterbuch der Deutschen Sprache des 20. Jahrhunderts (DWDS) notes that it is also a nursery word which German children make to imitate the sounds of eating. 

On the subject of papp, there is also the phrase: nicht mehr papp sagen können (translated to something like 'can't say mush anymore') which is another way to express feeling very full. German dictionary Duden notes that this is likely to come from the idea that someone’s mouth is so full they can’t even say the word papp. 

Maybe it’s worth stuffing yourself at dinner, just so you can use the word pappsatt in its full glory.

via GIPHY

QUIZ: How well do you know German food culture?

Examples:

Ich bin ganz pappsatt!

I’m completely stuffed!

Ich kann nicht mehr papp sagen!

I’ve eaten far too much!

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