längern

lüngern is a German verb that literally means “to lunge” or “to thrust forward with a sudden, piercing motion.” The term is derived from the Middle Low German word lungen, which in turn comes from the Old Norse ljúgan meaning “to strike.” Historically it was used primarily in descriptions of sword fighting, fencing, and other martial arts. Early German sporting texts from the 16th and 17th centuries frequently describe a “lüngern” as a decisive attack intended to break an opponent’s guard. The term appears in the fencing manual *Der Bogenmeister* (1721) where it is described as a “schnelle, spitze Bewegung des Schwertes in die Brust des Gegners.”

In modern German, lüngern has largely fallen out of everyday usage and is now mostly found in historical or literary contexts. Occasional references occur in descriptions of medieval reenactments or in the German spelling of the English word “lunge” in sports commentary. In sports such as track and field, a “Lunge” is a variation of the high‑jump technique, but the verb lüngern itself is rarely used in contemporary athletic vocabulary.

The word has also appeared in a handful of German idioms, most notably the phrase “ein lüngernes Versagen,” meaning “a failing that comes from a sudden, unwisely decisive move.” This idiom underscores the idea that impulsive force can lead to failure when not properly controlled.

lüngern is sometimes confused with the cognate noun “Lünger,” which refers to a waterfall in Bern, Switzerland, or to a small village in Bavaria. A single reference to lüngern can be found in a 19th‑century German dictionary: *Wörterbuch des Deutschen* (Berlin, 1832) lists it under “lüngern: zu schlagen; zu strecken, ein Schwung nach vorne zu machen.”

See also: lunge (sport), fencing terminology, medieval German martial arts.