Gericht

Gericht is a German noun with two common meanings: a court of law and a dish served as part of a meal. In legal usage, das Gericht refers to a court or judiciary, for example in phrases like das Gericht hat entschieden (the court has ruled). In culinary contexts, ein Gericht denotes a prepared dish or a course in a meal, such as ein typisches italienisches Gericht (a typical Italian dish). The plural form Gerichte can mean either courts or dishes, depending on context.

Etymology and usage notes: The court sense derives from Old High German and related Germanic roots connected to assembly or judgment, while the culinary sense arises from the notion of a course or arranged set of foods served during a meal. Both senses are common in German-speaking regions including Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland.

Language and style: In German, both senses are written as Gericht and are capitalized because they are nouns. The pronunciation is the same in German, though in English-language texts Gericht is usually treated as a loanword and may be translated as court or dish when not referring to a specific institution. In legal language, compounds such as Gerichtshof, Landgericht, and Obergericht are used to name different courts, while in cooking, menus may list Gerichte as categories of dishes.