Scheiß

Scheiß is a German-language profanity closely tied to the noun Scheiße, which means feces. It is used as an interjection to express anger, frustration, or surprise, and also as a prefix in compounds to intensify statements, such as Scheiß- in Scheißegal or Scheißtag.

Etymology and forms: The term derives from older Germanic words for excrement. In modern German, Scheiße is the standard noun, while Scheiß- is a productive prefix that forms many compound expressions. Spelling variants include Scheiße (with the ß) and Scheisse (common in contexts without this orthography). Usage is widespread across German-speaking regions, with minor regional preferences.

Usage and social context: Scheiße is considered highly vulgar and inappropriate in formal settings, education, or professional communication. It appears frequently in informal speech, humor, music, film, and online discourse. The word can convey anger, frustration, or sarcasm and may function as a strong emotional intensifier. Because of its offensiveness, it is often censored or avoided in broadcast media and public signage, though milder substitutes (Mist, verdammt) are common in polite contexts.

Variants and related expressions: The attributive prefix Scheiß- appears in many phrases, for example Scheißegal (don’t care at all), Scheißtag (a shitty day), and Scheißkerl (a jerk). The lexicon includes related terms that express stronger insults or more humorous usage, depending on tone and audience. Although closely related to excrement, Scheiß is primarily a social and linguistic marker rather than a literal reference in everyday speech.

See also: profanity, swearing, expletive, German slang.