German

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Etymology

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From aus- +‎ erkiesen, from Middle High German erkiesen, from Old High German arkiosan. Compare English choose, Dutch kiezen.

Pronunciation

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  • Audio:(file)

Verb

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auserkiesen (class 2 strong, third-person singular present (obsolete) erkiest aus, past tense erkor aus, past participle auserkoren, past subjunctive erköre aus, auxiliary haben)

  1. (transitive, higher register) to choose
    • 2022 February 21, Pavel Lokshin, “Putin hat nun Teile der Ostukraine zum Schlachtfeld auserkoren”, in Welt.de[1]:
      Putin hat nun Teile der Ostukraine zum Schlachtfeld auserkoren, wo er sich - ob militärisch oder ideologisch - gegen den Westen bewähren will.
      Putin has now chosen parts of eastern Ukraine as a battlefield where he wants to prove himself - whether militarily or ideologically - against the West.

Usage notes

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Auserkiesen (along with its synonym erkiesen) is a defective verb in modern standard German: Its past participle and (to a lesser extent) preterite forms are still in use, while the infinitive and present forms are obsolete, and not known to nor understood by most native speakers.

Conjugation

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Further reading

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