Heimat
/ˈhaɪ̯maːt/noun
A German term for one’s homeland, native region, or deeply felt sense of belonging.
Did you know?In German cultural history, Heimat became a powerful—and sometimes politically manipulated—symbol of rootedness, ancestry, landscape, and national identity.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*haimaz
“Home, dwelling, or inhabited place”
Old High German, 8th Century
Old High German
heimōti
“Homeland, native place, or region of origin”
Middle High German, 11th–14th Century
Middle High German
heim(e)t
“Home, native land, or place where one belongs”
Early New High German, 15th–17th Century
German
Heimat
“Native country or home region”
Modern German
German
Heimat
“Homeland, local home, or an emotionally meaningful sense of belonging”
Modern English
English
Heimat
“A borrowed German concept describing an emotionally or culturally significant homeland”