bekennen

From Middle Dutch bekennen, from Old Dutch bikennen, from Proto-West Germanic *bikannijan. Equivalent to be- +‎ kennen. Cognates include German bekennen, and English and Scots beken.

• IPA^(key): /bəˈkɛnə(n)/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: be‧ken‧nen
• Rhymes: -ɛnən

bekennen

1. (transitive) to acknowledge, confess
2. (transitive) to see, to make out, to discern
3. (transitive, biblical, euphemistic) to have sex, to know, have carnal knowledge

• bekenning
• bekentenis

• Afrikaans: beken
• Negerhollands: beken, bekennen

From Middle High German bekennen, from Old High German bikennen, from Proto-West Germanic *bikannijan. Equivalent to be- +‎ kennen. Cognates include Dutch bekennen, and English and Scots beken.

• IPA^(key): [bəˈkɛnən] (Germany)
• IPA^(key): [b̥eˈkɛnɛn] (Austria)

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

bekennen (irregular weak, third-person singular present bekennt, past tense bekannte, past participle bekannt, past subjunctive bekennte, auxiliary haben)

1. (transitive, literary) to confess, to avow, to profess (a belief, feeling, guilt, adherence to something)

   seine Liebe bekennen ― to confess one's love

   seine Religion bekennen ― to profess one's religion

   Farbe bekennen ― to show one's true colors

2. (reflexive) to pledge oneself (to), to commit (to), to declare one's affiliation (with), to take a stand (on) [with zu (+ dative) ‘something, e.g. a belief or religion’]

   sich zu einer Religion bekennen ― to profess / to commit to a religion

   1. to claim responsibility (for) [with zu (+ dative) ‘an attack or similar act’]

      Die Terrororganisation bekannte sich zu dem Anschlag.

      The terror organization claimed responsibility for the attack.

3. (reflexive, law) to plead

   Der Beklagte bekannte sich schuldig.

   The defendant pleaded guilty.

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

From Old Dutch bikennen. Equivalent to be- +‎ kennen.

bekennen

1. to get to know, to learn of
2. to notice
3. to see
4. to recognise
5. to know
6. to acknowledge, to discern

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

• bekenlijc
• bekennere
• bekenninge
• bekennisse

• Dutch: bekennen
• Limburgish: bekènne

• “bekennen”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “bekennen”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN