Anlage

Anlage is a German noun with several distinct meanings that vary by context. The core senses are: a facility or installation (an industrial plant or processing facility); equipment or apparatus as a collective set of machines; an attachment or enclosure added to a document or object; a financial asset or investment; and an aptitude or talent.

In industrial and technical usage, Anlage refers to a production or processing facility or to the installed systems within it. Examples include a power plant complex (Kraftwerksanlage) or a processing Anlage. The term can denote the installation as a whole or its individual components.

In business and accounting, Anlage often means asset. Anlagevermögen encompasses fixed assets held by a company, while Umlaufvermögen covers current assets. The word can also indicate an investment or capital expenditure in a broader sense, as in describing an investment as a form of Anlage.

In writing and correspondence, Anlage is used to mean attachments. The phrase in der Anlage signals that something is attached to the document or message, and can also refer to physical attachments or appendages in a non-document context.

In psychology and education, Anlage can denote an innate predisposition or talent. For example, someone may have eine Anlage zu musikalischer Begabung, meaning an aptitude for music.

Etymology and usage: Anlage derives from the verb anlegen, meaning to lay on, attach, or set up. The word therefore covers ideas of placement, establishment, and preparation across its senses.

Overall, Anlage is a versatile term in German, bridging engineering, finance, documentation, and personal aptitude, with meanings shaped by surrounding words.