Gestrichen

Gestrichen is the past participle of the German verb streichen. It is used both in verb tenses and as an adjective to describe something that has been painted or coated, as well as something that has been removed or canceled.

In its most common sense, gestrichen refers to painting or applying a coating to a surface. For example, a wall that has received a coat of paint is described as gestrichen: Die Wand ist gestrichen. This sense is common in construction, interior design, and maintenance.

Gestrichen can also mean that something has been erased, removed, or canceled. Phrases like etwas von der Liste gestrichen or einen Plan gestrichen indicate that an item was deleted or a plan was abandoned. This usage is frequent in administrative, scheduling, and planning contexts.

As an attributive or predicative adjective, gestrichen can describe objects that have a painted surface or surfaces that have been coated. For example, gestrichene Möbel bedeutet painted or refinished furniture. In contrast to durchgestrichen, which explicitly signals a cross-out or strike-through in text, gestrichen emphasizes the completion of a painting or coating rather than a textual cancellation.

Etymology and form: gestrichen is formed with the ge- prefix typical for perfect participles in German, from the verb streichen, which originally conveyed brushing, stroking, or smearing and extended to painting and erasing-related meanings.

See also: streichen, durchstreichen, gestrichene Wand, gestrichene Liste.