Abgabe

Abgabe is a German noun derived from the verb abgeben (to hand over, to submit, to give off). It has several related meanings and is used in everyday language as well as in legal and scientific contexts.

One primary sense of Abgabe is the act of handing over or submitting something to another party. This includes documents, tasks, or goods. Examples include the Abgabe einer Hausarbeit to a teacher or professor, or the Abgabe eines Formulars to an authority. The term emphasizes the transfer of possession or responsibility from the sender to the recipient.

A second common use is a financial obligation: a monetary payment that is owed to a public or collective entity. In this sense Abgabe covers levies, fees, and other compulsory charges that are not strictly taxes. Phrases such as Abgabe entrichten, Abgabepflicht, and Abgabenordnung (the Tax Code) are typical in this context. The Abgabenordnung governs procedures for tax collection and related charges in Germany.

A third sense concerns the emission or release of something by a system or substance, especially in scientific contexts. Examples include Abgabe von Wärme (emission of heat), Abgabe von Strahlung (emission of radiation), or Abgabe von Elektronen (emission of electrons). This usage appears in physics, chemistry, and biology.

In sum, Abgabe can denote the act of handing over, a financial obligation to authorities, or the release of something by a system. The exact meaning depends on context, with distinctions among Abgaben, Steuern, Gebühren and Beiträge often clarified by the surrounding language.