füttern

• IPA^(key): /ˈfʏtərn/,

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From Middle High German vüetern, from Old High German fuotiren, derived from fuotar, from Proto-Germanic *fōdrą (“fodder”). Equivalent to Futter +‎ -n. Compare Dutch voeren (“to feed”), dialectal English to fodder.

• futtern (obsolete in this sense)

füttern (weak, third-person singular present füttert, past tense fütterte, past participle gefüttert, auxiliary haben)

1. (transitive) to feed (to give food to)

   die Vögel mit Sonnenblumenkernen füttern ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   den Vögeln Sonnenblumenkerne füttern ― to feed sunflower seeds to the birds

• The word is used chiefly with animals or otherwise when someone raises the food directly to another person’s mouth (e.g. that of a small child). For “to provide food” in general the usual word is ernähren.

From Middle High German vüetern, derived from vueter, from Old High German fuotar, from Proto-Germanic *fōdrą (“sheath, wrapping, lining”). Equivalent to Futter +‎ -n. Compare Dutch voeren (“to line”). Probably remotely related to etymology 1, but not identical.

füttern (weak, third-person singular present füttert, past tense fütterte, past participle gefüttert, auxiliary haben)

1. to line (to cover the inner surface of a garment or bag)

• ausfüttern
• unterfüttern (“to undergird”)

• “füttern” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “füttern” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “füttern” in Duden online
• “füttern” in OpenThesaurus.de