überlegen

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German

Etymology 1

From Middle High German überlegen, past participle of überligen. By surface analysis, über +‎ legen.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌʔyːbɐˈleːɡŋ̩/, /ˌʔyːbɐˈleːɡən/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Audio (Austria):(file)
  • Hyphenation: über‧le‧gen

Adjective

überlegen (strong nominative masculine singular überlegener, comparative überlegener or überlegner, superlative am überlegensten)

  1. superior (higher in quality)
Declension
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Middle High German überlegen, from Old High German ubarleggen, from Proto-West Germanic *ubirlaggjan, from Proto-Germanic *uberlagjaną. Equivalent to über- +‎ legen. Cognate with Dutch overleggen and English overlay.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌʔyːbɐˈleːɡŋ̩/, /ˌʔyːbɐˈleːɡən/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Audio (Austria):(file)
  • Hyphenation: über‧le‧gen

Verb

überlegen (weak, third-person singular present überlegt, past tense überlegte, past participle überlegt, auxiliary haben)

  1. (transitive, dative reflexive) to think about, to think over
    Synonym: nachdenken
    Ich überlege es mir.I'll think about it.
    Ich habe es mir anders überlegt.I've changed my mind. (Lit. I've thought about it differently.)
Conjugation
Derived terms

Etymology 3

18th century; über- +‎ legen. The sense of 'laying something over something' was present in the inseparable Middle High German überlegen (see etymology 2) and has shifted over to the separable verb.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈʔyːbɐˌleːɡŋ̩/, /ˈʔyːbɐˌleːɡən/
  • Hyphenation: über‧le‧gen

Verb

überlegen (weak, third-person singular present legt über, past tense legte über, past participle übergelegt, auxiliary haben)

  1. (transitive or dative reflexive) to lay something over something, to cover something, to put on something
  2. (transitive, colloquial) to spank someone (by bending them over one's knee)
  3. (dative reflexive) to lean over something (e.g., a railing)
Conjugation
Derived terms

Further reading