Beamter

The German word Beamter (female: Beamtin or Beamte, plural: Beamte) means civil servant, and is pronounced, with a glottal stop between the 'e' and the 'a'. This English translation may be ambiguous, as German law puts public servants into two distinct classes, namely on one hand ordinary public employees (Angestellte), which are generally subject to the same body of laws and regulations as the employees of private enterprises, and on the other hand the Beamte with their own, special body of laws and regulations covering their conduct. German law thus makes a distinction that does not exist in most other national bodies of law.