begleiten

German

Etymology

From Middle High German begleiten (14th c.), from an underlying (apparently unattested) *begeleiten, a confluence of beleiten and geleiten, both prefixed forms of leiten (to lead). Compare Dutch begeleiden. Sometimes reanalyzed as be- +‎ Geleit (escort) +‎ -en (with syncope as in begnügen from genug).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bəˈɡlaɪ̯tən/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Audio:(file)
  • Audio (Austria):(file)

Verb

begleiten (weak, third-person singular present begleitet, past tense begleitete, past participle begleitet, auxiliary haben)

  1. to accompany
  2. to conduct, escort

Conjugation

  • By analogy with unrelated gleiten (to glide), a past participle beglitten may be formed. This is rare and typically humorous, but occasionally a genuine hypercorrection.

Derived terms

Further reading

  • begleiten” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • begleiten” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
  • begleiten” in Duden online
  • begleiten” in OpenThesaurus.de