Verb #513 Verb

kennzeichnen

hat gekennzeichnet · kennzeichnete
Based on: zeichnen
1.

to mark, to label, to tag

(Putting some sort of label on something. NOT for labeling in a sense of saying like "You're a leftist". It's an actually tag. Think of a price tag in the supermarket.)
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Examples
  • Die Mitarbeiter kennzeichnen die neuen Produkte mit Barcodes.
  • The employees label the new products with barcodes.
2.

to characterize, to make

(Same idea as before, just now the "tagging" is done by the feature or characteristic.)
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Examples
  • "Was kennzeichnet dieses Kunstwerk?""In erster Linie der Preis."
  • "What characterizes this piece of art?""The price, primarily."

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Questions and Comments

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3 Comments
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xv
xv

Could you please expand a bit on the second definition please ? So its not like darstellen where an author might characterise someone as being something? But more that a particular feature indicates something about something? So its not something you can do to someone else but more its only something a thing/quality can do?

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Emanuel
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Emanuel
Reply to  xv

Yeah, I think the best way is to use an example:

  • Was kennzeichnet einen guten Wein?

It’s basically “being the hallmarks of”, but as a verb

  • XYZ sind die Kennzeichen eines guten Weins.
  • XYZ kennzeichnen einen guten Wein.
  • XYZ are what makes a good wine.

Let me know if that helps.

Last edited 3 years ago by Emanuel
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xv
xv
Reply to  Emanuel

ah cool, i think i got it

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How many meanings does the German word 'kennzeichnen' have?

kennzeichnen has 2 distinct meanings: 1. to mark, to label, to tag, 2. to characterize, to make.

What is the past tense of 'kennzeichnen'?

hat gekennzeichnet / kennzeichnete

What is 'kennzeichnen' related to?

The word 'kennzeichnen' is related to zeichnen.

Where can I learn more about 'kennzeichnen'?

Check out the main YourDailyGerman Dictionary for more German vocabulary entries.