German edit

Etymology edit

From late Middle High German touwen (to thaw, dew), a merger of two verbs:

The merger started in Central German dialects, many of which had d- in both verbs. The original form of verb 2 survives in verdauen (to digest).

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈtaʊ̯ən/, [ˈtäʊ̯ən], [ˈtäʊ̯n̩]
  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: tau‧en

Verb edit

tauen (weak, third-person singular present taut, past tense taute, past participle getaut, auxiliary haben)

  1. (sometimes impersonal) to thaw; to melt
    Im Frühsommer taut es in den Bergen.
    In early summer, it thaws in the mountains.
    Das Eis taut in der Sonne.
    The ice is thawing in the sun.
  2. (usually impersonal) to dew; there to appear (dew)
    Morgens taut es auf der Wiese.
    In the morning, there appears dew on the grass.

Conjugation edit

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Further reading edit