kindergarten
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of kindergarten
1850–55; < German: literally, children's garden, equivalent to Kinder children ( see kind 2) + Garten garden
Explanation
Kindergarten is where children are introduced to school; it's where five year old children learn all about their ABC's and choice time. Kindergarten comes from the German words Kinder ("children") and Garten ("garden"). A garden of children is a lovely and poetic image for a classroom full of antsy kids trying their hardest to master basic skills and ideas through creative and interactive lessons. But perhaps that is just how they were seen by the 19th-century German educator Friedrich Fröbel, who is credited with inventing kindergarten, his "method of developing intelligence in young children."
Vocabulary lists containing kindergarten
August Words
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 7–August 13, 2021
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Words Derived from German
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The town is due to receive €1 million directly from the stimulus fund, which is “good, but not a game-changer,” given that it costs €5 million to build a Kindergarten, Hetzl said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
Salon spoke to Taylor-O’Connor about the documentary, Ellie’s talents and bossiness, the Parrot Kindergarten school for animal communication and grief.
From Salon • Nov. 2, 2025
Craigslea Community Kindergarten and Preschool in Brisbane closed last month after funding was halted amid an investigation into claims about its governance.
From BBC • Sep. 24, 2025
Even the simplest skills such as a back handspring, which most elite gymnasts master by Kindergarten age, left her mind frozen with fear.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2025
Kindergarten through third-grade students filed noisily into the old wooden seats for the afternoon performance.
From "George" by Alex Gino
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
