liste

Liste is a German noun meaning an ordered collection of items, i.e., a list. It covers everyday uses such as shopping lists (Einkaufsliste), rosters (Teilnehmerliste), inventories, and rankings (Rangliste), as well as more abstract sequences in data processing and documentation. In computing, Liste denotes an ordered collection of elements, analogous to a list or array in programming languages, and it appears as a basic data structure in German-language texts.

Etymology: The term comes from Old French liste, related to Latin lista meaning strip, border, or record. Through French, the word acquired the sense of a sequential set of items, which in German broadened to refer to any organized series or catalog.

Usage: German uses many compound nouns built with Liste, such as Einkaufsliste, Namensliste, and Rangliste. The word can be used with definite or indefinite articles and in singular or plural forms (die Liste; zwei Listen). Lists can be presented with bullets or numbers, depending on style and context.

See also: List, Rangliste, Einkaufsliste, Namensliste.