Einschließen

Einschließen is a German verb with several related meanings. It can mean to enclose or surround something physically, to include or incorporate something within a larger whole, and, in technical usage, to contain or be contained within a set, scope, or document. The word is separable: in the present tense the verb form is geschlossen as schließt ein, in the simple past it is schloss ein, and the past participle is eingeschlossen.

Usage examples illustrate its senses. For physical enclosure: Der Garten wird von einer Hecke eingeschlossen. For inclusion in a group or concept: Der Begriff schließt mehrere Konzepte ein. For packaging or wrapping: Die Ware ist in Folie eingeschlossen. For legal or document scope: Der Vertrag schließt bestimmte Klauseln ein. In mathematics or logic, A schließt B ein means B is contained in A. For example: Die Menge A schließt die Menge B ein.

Grammar notes: Einschließen is a separable verb, so its prefix appears separated in finite forms (er schließt ein, er schloss ein, er hat eingeschlossen). The participle eingeschlossen is used as a past participle and, adjectivally, to describe something that is enclosed.

Etymology and related terms: Einschließen comes from ein- plus schließen, literally “to close into.” The noun form Einschluss means inclusion or enclosure. Antonym: ausschließen, meaning to exclude. Related concept: eingeschlossen as an adjective describes something that has been enclosed.

In broader usage, einschließen often conveys the idea of bringing something within a boundary, whether spatial, conceptual, or contractual.