heißes

Heißes is the neuter singular form of the German adjective heiß, meaning hot, when it modifies a neuter noun in the nominative or accusative case. In German, adjectives are declined to reflect gender, case, and the presence or absence of a determiner. As a result, forms such as heißes, heiße, and heißes appear in different contexts. Common uses include describing temperature, for example heißes Wasser (hot water) or heißes Essen (hot food).

Declension and examples:

With a definite article, neuter nominative and accusative take das heiße Wasser or das heiße Eisen. Without a determiner or in strong declension, the form is heißes Wasser or heißes Eisen. With negation, you can encounter kein heißes Eisen (do not touch a hot iron). The form heiße is used for feminine nouns in the nominative and accusative (die heiße Suppe), illustrating how the ending changes with gender and determiner.

Notable phrases and idioms:

A well-known idiom is kein heißes Eisen anfassen, meaning to avoid taking on a dangerous or urgent issue. The related expression das heiße Eisen refers more generally to a sensitive or controversial topic. These usages demonstrate how heiß can appear in figurative language beyond literal temperature.

Etymology and related terms:

Heiß originates from the Germanic linguistic family, with cognates in other Germanic languages meaning hot or burning. The spelling with ß reflects historical spelling rules for long vowels or diphthongs in German. Related forms include heiße (feminine singular or used after definite articles) and heißes (neuter singular in contexts without a definite determiner).

See also: hot (translation), German adjective declension, idioms involving hot topics.