Behauenen

Behauenen is a German adjectival form derived from the verb behauen, meaning to hew or carve by blows. It is used to describe materials or objects that have been shaped through hewing, typically stone or wood. As a participial adjective, behauenen inflects like other adjectives and appears in phrases such as die behauenen Steine or die behauene Statue, depending on number, gender, and case. In common usage you may see examples like ein aus Stein behauener Block or die behauenen Steine des Gebäudes. The term signals that the object has been worked by tools, distinguishing it from rough or unworked material.

In architectural history, archaeology and art history, behauenen surfaces and forms denote finished or deliberately shaped features, as opposed to naturally weathered or roughly hewn material. The prefix be- attached to hauen emphasizes the action of shaping rather than merely breaking. Related lexical forms include gehauen (the simple past participle of hauen) and ausgehauen (hollowed out), as well as broader terms for stone finishing and sculpture. In sum, behauenen functions as a descriptive, non-nominal form used to indicate that a material or object has been worked by shaping with tools.