German

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Etymology

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From Middle High German erwürgen, from Old High German irwurgen. Equivalent to er- +‎ würgen (to choke). The main sense has always been “strangle”. In Early Modern German it was generalised to “kill, murder”, but this use was shortlived.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ɛʁˈvʏʁɡən/, [ʔɛɐ̯ˈvʏɐ̯.ɡŋ̍]
  • Audio:(file)

Verb

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erwürgen (weak, third-person singular present erwürgt, past tense erwürgte, past participle erwürgt, auxiliary haben)

  1. (transitive) to strangle (choke someone to death)
    Synonym: erdrosseln
  2. (obsolete) to kill violently, to slay, murder [chiefly 16th c.]

Conjugation

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Further reading

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  • erwürgen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • erwürgen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
  • erwürgen” in Duden online