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German
Etymology
zer- + leben
Pronunciation
Verb
zerleben (weak, third-person singular present zerlebt, past tense zerlebte, past participle zerlebt, auxiliary haben)
- to dilapidate by living
1930–1943, Robert Musil, “Die Spitze deiner Brust ist wie ein Mohnblatt”, in Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften , book 1, Hamburg: Rowohlt Verlag, published 1957:Nach Art jener Bakterienstämme, die etwas Organisches in zwei Teile spalten, zerlebt der Menschenstamm den ursprünglichen Lebenszustand des Gleichnisses in die feste Materie der Wirklichkeit und Wahrheit und in die glasige Atmosphäre von Ahnung, Glaube und Künstlichkeit. Es scheint, daß es dazwischen keine dritte Möglichkeit gibt; aber wie oft endet etwas Ungewisses erwünscht, wenn man ohne viel Überlegen damit beginnt!- In the fashion of those bacteria stems which split something organic into two deals the stem of humans dilapidates by his living that primeval state of living of the simile into the solid matter of reality and truth and into the vitreous atmosphere of guesswork, belief and artifice. It seems that that there is no third possibility between it; though how often something uncertain end up like desired when one, without much reflection, begins with it!
Conjugation
Conjugation of
zerleben (
weak, auxiliary
haben)
1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.
Composed forms of
zerleben (
weak, auxiliary
haben)