Goethe’s tongue does not always chime in harmony with the languages of Racine or Dante, but when the word went out, film directors, schoolchildren and professors fell over themselves to compete. And the winner is: Habseligkeiten. Translating as "bits and pieces", it can range from shells in a child’s bag to lucky charms among the keys and coins in a pocket. "The word doesn’t signify ownership or wealth of a person. However, it does refer to his possessions . . . in a friendly, compassionate way - the kind of possessions collected by a six-year-old, which he joyfully displays when he turns out his pockets," Doris Kalka, a secretary at the University of Tübingen, wrote. "It can also express the few belongings of someone who has lost his home and has to transport them to wherever there is shelter."
The poll attracted 22,838 entries. Liebe, love, was the most popular single word in Germany and in Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Bulgaria. In America, Gemütlichkeit, which means warmth or cosiness, was the favourite and in Britain, it was Schmetterling, or butterfly.