German

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Etymology

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From Zwang (compulsion) +‎ einweisen (to commit or admit to an institution). Probably denominal after Zwangseinweisung.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈtsvaŋsˌ(ʔ)aɪ̯nˌvaɪ̯zən/

Verb

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zwangseinweisen (class 1 strong, third-person singular present zwangseinweist, past tense zwangseinwies, past participle zwangseingewiesen, auxiliary haben)

  1. to section (to subject a patient, usually a mental patient, to compulsory treatment in a clinic)

Usage notes

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  • The verb is used chiefly in the infinite forms and in subclauses. In main clauses, the phrase zwangsweise einweisen is used instead. Thus, man weist ihn zwangsweise ein, rather than the fairly uncommon man zwangseinweist ihn (“they section him”). Colloquially, one might also hear man weist ihn zwangsein, but this is nonstandard.
  • The institutions to which people can be sectioned are called geschlossene Anstalten (closed institutions), or now in officialese and euphemistic parlance geschlossene Einrichtungen (closed establishments), informally Geschlossene.

Conjugation

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