Erworben

Erworben is the past participle of the German verb erwerben, meaning to acquire or obtain. It is commonly used as an adjective to describe something that has been obtained, typically through effort, purchase, contract, or entitlement. The verb itself is a strong verb; its simple past is erwarb and its past participle is erworben. When used attributively, the participle is declined, giving forms such as das erworbene Recht or das erworbene Wissen.

In everyday and formal German, erworden appears in legal, economic, and academic contexts to indicate an obtained status, right, or asset rather than something inherited or innate. Typical collocations include das erworbene Recht (an acquired right) and das erworbene Wissen (acquired knowledge). The expression can also occur with different nouns, for example ein erwobenes Kapital or ähnliche Konstruktionen, depending on context and gender, with appropriate inflection.

In legal language, the emphasis is often on rights or properties that are obtained through contract, official decision, or legal process rather than by birth or natural progression. The related noun is Erwerb (acquisition), which denotes the act or process of obtaining something.

See also: Erwerb, Erwerbsgerechtigkeit, erwerben.