besorgen
German
Etymology
From be- + sorgen. Already Middle High German besorgen, Old High German bisorgēn.
Verb
- (transitive) to deal, to manage, to procure
- Seine Geschäfte wurden durch einen Stellvertreter besorgt.
- His operations have been managed by a proxy.
- (transitive) to get, to obtain
- Ich gehe noch mal schnell Brötchen besorgen. ― I go get bread rolls only.
- (vulgar, with expletive and dative) to give it to someone, to satisfy carnally
- Er hat’s ihr richtig besorgt. ― He has really given it to her.
- (transitive, from 20th century usually officialese) to be afraid of, to worry about
- 1788, Christoph Martin Wieland, Lügengeschichten und Dialoge von Lukian von Samosata, Chapter 16:
- Übrigens hieß er uns gutes Muthes seyn und keine Gefahr besorgen; wir sollten mit allem, was wir nöthig hätten, versehen werden.
- Else he hight us be of good mood and fear no danger; we should be furnished with all that we might need.
Conjugation
Derived terms
Further reading
- “besorgen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- “besorgen” in Duden online
- “besorgen” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.
Categories:
- German terms prefixed with be-
- German terms inherited from Middle High German
- German terms derived from Middle High German
- German terms inherited from Old High German
- German terms derived from Old High German
- German transitive verbs
- German terms with usage examples
- German vulgarities
- German officialese terms
- German terms with quotations