auswendig

German

Etymology

From aus +‎ wend(en) +‎ -ig, literally ‘turned outward, inside-out’.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaʊ̯sˌvɛndɪç/ (standard)
• IPA^(key): /ˈaʊ̯sˌvɛndɪk/ (common form in southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: aus‧wen‧dig

Adverb

auswendig

1. by heart (knowing completely)
   • 2002, Peter Bichsel, Eisenbahnfahren, Insel 2002, p. 7:

     Ich kannte einen Mann, der wußte den ganzen Fahrplan auswendig […].

     I knew a man who knew the whole timetable off by heart.

Synonyms

• aus dem Kopf

Further reading

• “auswendig” in Duden online