stalag

[ stal-uhg; German shtah-lahk ]

noun

1. a World War II German military camp housing prisoners of war of enlisted ranks.

stalag

/ ˈstælæɡ; ˈʃtalak /

noun

1. a German prisoner-of-war camp in World War II, esp for noncommissioned officers and other ranks

Word History and Origins

Origin of stalag¹

First recorded in 1940–45; from German, short for Sta(mm)lag(er), equivalent to Stamm “cadre, main body” + Lager “camp”

Word History and Origins

Origin of stalag¹

short for Stammlager base camp, from Stamm base (related to stem ¹) + Lager camp

Example Sentences

Flt Lt Smythe spent 18 months in Stalag Luft I prisoner of war camp in Barth, Germany, before being liberated and flown back to Britain.

From BBC

That thumbprint made at Stalag 8b inspired Jacqueline to search for more answers in a Facebook group for relatives of prisoners of war.

From BBC

He ended up at Stalag IV-B - one of Germany's largest prisoner of war camps - on what was his 19th birthday.

From BBC

Alongside him in Stalag Luft 3 was another prisoner, Talbot Rothwell, who would go on to write many of the best Carry On films.

From BBC

However, in Stalag Luft 3, he was an officer and code writer in MI9, the military intelligence agency responsible for organising escapes from prison camps.

From BBC