Dictionary verb ein verb *le(i)- lassen einlassen
(ein verb)

Meanings

1.
let enter
(Sounds VERY formal and only used in contexts like opera and so on. Has a notion of welcoming, rather than giving permission. The noun is more common.)
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2.
to get involved with, to engage, to say yes to
("sich+Acc einlassen auf+Acc" - in the context of deals or offers of some kind, where you are a bit skeptical. Also used for engaging with people in the sense of a relationship - business or private.)
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3.
to fill, to let in
(ONLY for bathwater or water in the sink. The water/bath is the direct object, usually, but it can also be the bathtub.)
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Opposite (closest): ablassen
4.
to set in, to embed
(In the sense of arts and crafts. Think of a gold smith slowly putting a stone into a socket. ONLY for such contexts, not to be used generally.)
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Examples

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My Articles

Word of the Day -"lassen"- 2

In this article, we'll talk about the quirks of using "lassen" in past tense and we'll explore its prefix versions - with a special focus on "verlassen".

Vocab:

lassen, überlassen, ablassen, einlassen, erlassen, verlassen,


Word Family

Root: *le(i)-

The core idea of this root was:

letting go, slacken off, relenting

And we can still see this sense in the English offspring, like last, let, lenient, latter or late.

By the way, the words relax and and release, though they would fit in here, apparently come from a different root.

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