Uber interesting

English-speakers in America and the UK have adopted the German word "über" (or "uber") in everyday conversation. But, as often happens with adopted words, it has taken on a new, decidedly un-German, life of its own.

First of all, in English, there's no umlaut. In German, the word is usually used as a preposition (it can be translated as anything from "about" to "over" to "above").

The term, "uber" being used as another way of saying "very" when attached to an English adjective, e.g. uber-cool or uber-hot, uber-cute or uber-mean. It may also be heard with a noun - like uber-dork or uber-model - as another way of saying "super" or "extreme." e.g. My brother is an uber-dork; he always stays home and plays computer games.

According to Urban Dictionary, "uber" entered the English language when 1980's punk band Dead Kennedys recorded the song "California Uber Alles," but since then, the word has certainly moved beyond this niche audience.

Source: Deutsche Welle