niederschlagen

See also: Niederschlägen

German

Etymology

nieder- +‎ schlagen

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈniːdəʁˌʃlaːɡən/, [ˈniːdɐˌʃlaːɡŋ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: nie‧der‧schla‧gen

Verb

1. to defeat (an enemy)
2. to quell (a rebellion)
3. to strike (someone) down, to beat (someone) down; to force someone downwards

   einen Mann niederschlagen — to beat a man to the ground

4. to cast down (one's eyes), to look down

Usage notes

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).

Derived terms

• (to quell a rebellion): Niederschlagung

Further reading

• “niederschlagen” in Duden online