beiwohnen

German

Etymology

From Middle High German bīwonen; analyzable as bei +‎ wohnen. At least in part, probably a loan translation of Latin cohabitāre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbaɪ̯ˌvoːnən/

Verb

1. (formal, intransitive + dative) to attend; to be present at (some gathering or event)

   Ich habe der damaligen Sitzung nicht beigewohnt.

   I did not attend that meeting back then.

2. (formal, dated, intransitive + dative) to sleep with; to cohabit; to have sexual intercourse with (a woman)

   Viele Kulturen verbieten es, der Ehefrau während ihrer Monatsblutung beizuwohnen.

   Many cultures forbid cohabiting one’s wife during her menstrual period.

Usage notes

• While sense 2 is now infrequent, it is still familiar enough to preclude that sense 1 be used with personal objects.

Derived terms

• Beiwohnen
• Beiwohner
• Beiwohnung
• beiwohnend
• beigewohnt