You know you live in Germany when lots of little words combine to make one really long word.
I came across “Parlamentsauseinandersetzungen” while reading Drei Mann in Einem Boot” today. If it were in a newspaper column, it would have taken up 3 lines!
What does it mean? I’m not sure yet. It was capitalized, which means it’s a noun (always a helpful place to start). Let’s break this word apart…..
Parlements + auseinander + Setzung(en)
Parliament’s + apart + settlement (plural)
“Parliament’s apart settlement”
Here’s another possible way of breaking down the word:
Parlaments + Auseinandersetzung(en)
Parliament’s + disputes
“Parliament’s disputes”
The book was talking about a time in England’s history when the Parliament would leave London and meet in Reading whenever the Plague broke out in London. So here’s the word in context:
“During ‘Parliament’s disputes/settlement away from London,‘ Reading was besieged by the Earl of Essex, and a quarter of a century later the Prince of Orange conquered the troops of King James here.”
