niederschlagen meaning and definition in german

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Verb

Frequency: word meaning frequency

class 6 strong, third-person singular simple present schlägt nieder, past tense schlug nieder, past participle niedergeschlagen, past subjunctive schlüge nieder, auxiliary haben

The verb is at the heart of the humorous saying, supposedly a monastic rule, "Wenn deine Augen eine Frau erblicken, schlage sie nieder" — which means either "if your eyes behold a woman, cast them downwards" (look away) or "if your eyes behold a woman, force her down" (punitively or sexually).

to defeat (an enemy)
to quell (a rebellion)
to strike (someone) down, to beat (someone) down; to force someone downwards einen Mann niederschlagen — to beat a man to the ground
to cast down (one's eyes), to look down

Derived terms

• Niederschlagung