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Definition 2024


niederschlagen

niederschlagen

See also: Niederschlägen

German

Verb

niederschlagen (class 6 strong, third-person singular simple present schlägt nieder, past tense schlug nieder, past participle niedergeschlagen, past subjunctive schlüge nieder, auxiliary haben)

  1. to defeat (an enemy)
  2. to quell (a rebellion)
  3. to strike (someone) down, to beat (someone) down; to force someone downwards
    einen Mann niederschlagen to beat a man to the ground
  4. to cast down (one's eyes), to look down

Conjugation

Usage notes

The verb is at the heart of the humorous saying, supposedly a monastic rule, "Wenn deine Augen eine Frau erblicken, schlage sie nieder" which means either "if your eyes behold a woman, cast them downwards" (look away) or "if your eyes behold a woman, force her down" (punitively or sexually).

Derived terms

  • (to quell a rebellion): Niederschlagung