Ausgang

Ausgang is a German noun (masculine: der Ausgang) with several related meanings centered on the idea of a way out or an end state. The primary sense is physical: an exit or way out from a building, room, or area. It is commonly used in everyday speech and signage, for example der Ausgang ist links or Notausgang for emergency exits. Beyond a door or passage, Ausgang can also denote a point of departure in a broader sense, such as the eventual end, result, or outcome of a process or event.

Etymology and usage: Ausgang is formed from aus, meaning out, and Gang, meaning passage or corridor. This combination yields both the concrete sense of leaving a space and the more abstract sense of reaching an end state after a sequence of events. In German, the word is used across contexts—from architecture and safety instructions to reporting on projects or procedures.

Senses and examples: In everyday language, you would point someone to the building’s exit using der Ausgang or der Notausgang for an emergency exit. In a more abstract sense, one can speak of the Ausgang eines Verfahrens (the outcome of a procedure) or des Projekts (the project’s outcome). In technical domains, Ausgang also signifies output: for instance, Ausgangssignal refers to an output signal, and Ausgangsspannung to the output voltage of a device or circuit.

See also: Notausgang, Ausgangslage, Ausgangspunkt. These related terms extend the same root meaning into emergency exits, current situations, or starting points, illustrating the word’s flexibility across everyday language and technical jargon.