Verlies

See also: verlies

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Low German verlies (“loss”), cognate with Dutch verlies (“id.”) and German verlieren (“to lose”). Apparently, the original meaning is "place where someone is lost"; possibly a second word (like "place", "hole") has been omitted, although no such compound seems to be attested.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɛɐ̯ˈliːs/, /fɐˈliːs/

• Audio

  (file)

• Homophone: verließ
• Rhymes: -iːs

Noun

Verlies n (strong, genitive Verlieses, plural Verliese, diminutive Verlieschen n)

1. dungeon (historic prison in a vault)

   Gefangene Feinde ließ man in Verliesen unterhalb der Burg verhungern.

   Captured enemies were starved to death in dungeons below the castle.

2. an underground prison or place of captivity

   Der Entführer hielt sein Opfer in einem eigens gebauten Verlies im Keller seines Hauses.

   The kidnapper held his victim in a specially built prison in the basement of his house.

Declension

Declension of Verlies [neuter, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	Verlies	die	Verliese
genitive	eines	des	Verlieses	der	Verliese
dative	einem	dem	Verlies, Verliese1	den	Verliesen
accusative	ein	das	Verlies	die	Verliese

¹Now rare, see notes.

Further reading

• “Verlies” in Duden online