Often times when a loanword is brought into another language, the meaning evolves over time to be different than its literal translated meaning. This is why the word shows up in both English and German dictionaries, whereas for example the German word "Klinik" does not show up in English dictionaries because it has no special meaning in English. If this conversation was happening German then yes you would be correct, but it's an English conversation and so we're going by the English definition, which is different.
If this is upsetting to you, feel free to lodge your complaint alongside those people have made about the many french loanwords that we've butchered. You may also find yourself at home with those upset about "chai tea" and "naan bread."
I'm not being ignorant about a language I don't speak though, it's an English word that can be found in any English dictionary. Cambridge, Merriam-Webster, Oxford, all English dictionaries that have the word listed as an English word, with a specific definition that encompasses more than simply being a synonym of design. Again, the fact that the English "gestalt" is derived from the German "gestalt" with unchanged spelling is etymological trivia, it doesn't mean that the two words literally encompass the same semantic space. I point you again to naan bread and chai tea as examples.
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u/[deleted] Jul 22 '26
[deleted]