What does the German word “Strom” mean?

The main German word for “electricity” is Strom (m.), which literally translates into English as “stream” or “current” (and as such can also be used to describe flowing bodies of water, such as a river).

There is also the word Elektrizität (f.) in German, which is used as an umbrella term for the natural phenomenon resulting from the attraction/repulsion of electrically charged particles - in other words, usually more of a word for physics than everyday usage.

Stromrechnung (f.) Electricity billÖkostrom (m.) Green electricityStromzähler (m.) Electricity meterStromverbraucher (m.) Electricity consumer (such as a household or an electrical appliance)
Stromausfall (m.) Power outage

Related Words

While we’re on this topic, the word for “fuse box” is Sicherungskasten (m.), the word for “plug” is Stecker (m.), and the word for “socket” is Steckdose (f.) (essentially “a can for sticking (something into)”). Since we’ve pictured it, the word for “lightning” is Blitz (m.), and, lastly, a hot-topic concept today is erneuerbare Energie (f.) (“renewable energy”).