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abhanden. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
abhanden, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
abhanden in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
abhanden you have here. The definition of the word
abhanden will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
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German
Etymology
Middle High German. By surface analysis, ab + Handen (now Händen).
Pronunciation
Adverb
abhanden
- gone, lost
1901, “Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen [I am lost to the world]”, Friedrich Rückert (lyrics), Gustav Mahler (music):Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, / Mit der ich sonst viele Zeit verdorben, / Sie hat so lange nichts von mir vernommen, / Sie mag wohl glauben, ich sei gestorben!- I am lost to the world / with which I used to waste so much time; / it has heard nothing from me for so long, / it may well believe that I am dead!
Usage notes
Nowadays, abhanden is only used with the verb kommen.
Derived terms
Further reading
- “abhanden” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache