Opfers

Opfers is the genitive singular form of the German noun Opfer. The base noun Opfer means victim or sacrifice, depending on context. In modern German, Opfer is declined as das Opfer (nominative singular), des Opfers (genitive singular), dem Opfer (dative singular), and das Opfer or die Opfer (plural). The form Opfers appears specifically in the genitive construction des Opfers, used to indicate possession or relation to the victim or the concept of sacrifice.

In usage, Opfers spans both the everyday sense of a person who suffers harm and the broader sense of a sacrificial offering. For example, das Leid des Opfers translates to “the suffering of the victim,” and das Schicksal des Opfers to “the fate of the victim.” In religious or historical writing, Opfer can also denote a sacrifice offered to a deity or to a ritual context, with opfern meaning “to sacrifice” and ein Opfer bringen meaning “to make a sacrifice.” The plural Opfer is used for multiple victims or multiple sacrifices.

Etymologically, Opfer originates from the Germanic linguistic family with cognates in related languages, sharing a core meaning tied to suffering and sacrificial offering. In contemporary usage, the term remains common in legal, literary, and journalistic contexts when referring to individuals who suffer harm or to acts of sacrifice. See also Opfer, Opferbringung, and related terms for broader discussions of sacrifice and victimhood.