laut

Laut is a term that appears in several languages with unrelated meanings. In German, laut most commonly means "loud" or "noisy" and is used as an adjective (ein lauter Knall), an adverb (er spricht laut) and, in older or formal usage, as a preposition meaning "according to" (laut dem Bericht). When used as a preposition, it governs the case of the following article rather than a noun in genitive: laut dem Bericht. The expression "laut" is common in media and legal language to cite sources.

In Indonesian and Malay, laut is a noun meaning "sea" or "ocean" and is widely used in everyday speech and literature. It appears in many compound terms and place names, reflecting the importance of the sea in maritime communities.

Laut also exists as a surname in German-speaking regions and can appear in geographic names as part of a larger name. Its exact capitalization and usage depend on the language and context.

Linguistically, laut illustrates polysemy across languages: a German adjective meaning "loud" and a Malay/Indonesian noun meaning "sea" with no direct relation to the German sense. The term's interpretation is therefore highly context-dependent, and readers should rely on surrounding words to determine the intended meaning.