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benennen. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
benennen, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
benennen in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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German
Etymology
From Middle High German benennen, from Old High German *binemnen. Equivalent to be- + nennen. Cognate with Old Saxon binemnian, Old English benemnan. Compare English bename, Dutch benoemen, Swedish benämna.
Pronunciation
Verb
benennen (irregular weak, third-person singular present benennt, past tense benannte, past participle benannt, past subjunctive benennte, auxiliary haben)
- (transitive) to name, give a name to
- Synonym: einen Namen geben
Du musst dein neu erfundenes Gericht noch benennen.- You still have to name your newly invented dish.
- (transitive, + nach) to name after, name for
Es ist gebräuchlich, Kinder nach ihren Großeltern zu benennen.- It is customary to name children after their grandparents.
Das Dorf wurde nach seinem Gründer benannt.- The village was named after its founder.
- (transitive, + mit) to call by a name
- Synonym: nennen
Schon in einer Urkunde aus dem Jahr 880 wird der Bach mit diesem Namen benannt.- The brook is already called by this name in a document from the year 880.
- (transitive) to designate, denominate, nominate
- Synonyms: nennen, angeben, aufstellen
Ich habe dich als Kontaktperson benannt.- I’ve given you as my contact person.
Jede Partei kann einen Kandidaten benennen.- Every party can nominate one candidate.
- (transitive) to address, identify (a problem etc.)
- Synonyms: ansprechen, eingehen auf, beim Namen nennen, zur Sprache bringen, thematisieren
Wir müssen die Gründe für unser Scheitern klar benennen.- We must clearly address the reasons for our failure.
Usage notes
- Benennen can never have ditransitive construction (as in “to call someone something”). For this use the simplex nennen.
Conjugation
1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.
Derived terms
Further reading
- “benennen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- “benennen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
- “benennen” in Duden online
- “benennen” in OpenThesaurus.de
Luxembourgish
Etymology
From be- + nennen.
Verb
benennen (third-person singular present benennt, past participle benannt, auxiliary verb hunn)
- to name
Conjugation