Abbürsten

Abbürsten is a German verb meaning to brush off or to remove something by brushing. In everyday language it is used for clearing dust, dirt, or loose particles from clothing, furniture, or other surfaces, for example: Ich bürste den Staub von der Tischdecke ab; Sie bürstet die Kleidung ab.

The term is also used in technical and industrial contexts. In surface finishing and manufacturing, abbürsten describes a process in which burrs, oxidation, residues, or contaminants are removed from a workpiece by brushing, often with a wire brush, abrasive brush, or brushing machine. It can also refer to cleaning or smoothing a surface by brushing to prepare it for further processing or coating.

Grammatically, abbürsten is a separable verb from ab- and Bürste. In present tense forms you say ich bürste ab, du bürstest ab, er bürstet ab; the past participle is abgebürstet, used with haben (Die Kleidung wurde abgebürstet; Die Grate wurden abgebürstet).

Etymology: ab- conveys removal or separation, combined with Bürste (brush), yielding a literal sense of brushing away material. Related concepts include reinigen (to clean), entgraten (to deburr), and abreiben (to rub off).

In usage, abbürsten thus spans casual cleaning and formal industrial processes, always implying that brushing is the primary means of removing material or contamination.