kultur means german culture or civilization, especially seen as authoritarian or racist during the period of world wars (1914-18 and 1939-45). Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 84 out of 100.
kultur is pronounced /kʊlˈtuːɹ/.
Why “kultur” is a great word
A loaded term for German culture or civilization, especially as it was perceived during the World Wars to be authoritarian, racist, and aggressively nationalistic. Borrowed from German *Kultur*, from Latin *cultūra* ("cultivation, culture"); a doublet of the English word 'culture', it was first attested in English with this specific connotation in 1914. Unlike "culture"—a neutral or positive tapestry of arts and customs—or "Zivilisation"—which denoted external, material progress—"Kultur" came to signify an inner, spiritual force perverted into an instrument of the state. It evokes the precise goose-step of a parade ground, the cold geometry of a propaganda poster, and the philosophical justification for the trench—the tragic spectacle of the humanistic ideal harnessed to the engine of conquest.
Etymology
Borrowed from German Kultur, from Latin cultūra; doublet of culture.
noun
- German culture or civilization, especially seen as authoritarian or racist during the period of world wars (1914-18 and 1939-45)“1963: so much rot spoken about their inferior kultur-position and our herrenschaft – but that was for the Kaiser and the businessmen at home — Thomas Pynchon, V.”