GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY: POLENTE
Our German word of the day today is Polente or “cops / pigs / fuzz”.
This nineteenth-century term used by Berliners when referring to members of local law enforcement was what you would have often heard shouted in the streets surrounding Alexanderplatz, Ostbahnhof or Moritzplatz - place generally associated with activities requiring the latter’s interventions.
Polente made it into German/Berlinerisch via Yiddish - the word "paltin" stands for "a castle" or "a palace". "Paltin" evolved into "polent" - in Gaunersprache (criminal/underworld jargon it meant "the authorities"), and from here it was a stone's throw to Polente.
Also somewhere deep inside Polente there sits good old ancient Greek word "polīté͞ia (πολιτεία)" - the state, the state administration.
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Isn't "Bullen" a more common expression for cops?
So cool! It's so cool how a word does it way from ancient Greek to Hebrew, Yiddish and German