versiffen
German
Etymology
Equivalent to ver- + Siff (“filth”) + -en, though the noun may in fact be a backformation from the verb. See Siff for more.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /feʁˈzɪfən/, [fɐˈzɪ.fn̩], [fɛɐ̯-], [-fən]
Audio: (file) - Hyphenation: ver‧sif‧fen
Verb
versiffen (weak, third-person singular present versifft, past tense versiffte, past participle versifft, auxiliary sein)
- to become filthy, dirty, especially with moist or greasy dirt (hence often said e.g. of bathrooms or kitchens)
Conjugation
Conjugation of versiffen (weak, auxiliary sein)
| infinitive | versiffen | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| present participle | versiffend | ||||
| past participle | versifft | ||||
| auxiliary | sein | ||||
| indicative | subjunctive | ||||
| singular | plural | singular | plural | ||
| present | ich versiffe | wir versiffen | i | ich versiffe | wir versiffen |
| du versiffst | ihr versifft | du versiffest | ihr versiffet | ||
| er versifft | sie versiffen | er versiffe | sie versiffen | ||
| preterite | ich versiffte | wir versifften | ii | ich versiffte1 | wir versifften1 |
| du versifftest | ihr versifftet | du versifftest1 | ihr versifftet1 | ||
| er versiffte | sie versifften | er versiffte1 | sie versifften1 | ||
| imperative | versiff (du) versiffe (du) |
versifft (ihr) | |||
1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.
Composed forms of versiffen (weak, auxiliary sein)
Derived terms
- Versiffen, Versiffung
Further reading
- “versiffen” in Duden online