Opgehangen

Opgehangen is the past participle of the Dutch verb ophangen, meaning to hang up, to suspend, or to mount. The prefix op- indicates completion or upward action, and ophangen can also refer to execution by hanging in historical contexts. In everyday Dutch, opgehangen describes something that has been placed in a hanging position or fixed to a support.

In grammar, opgehangen is used with have or be to form perfect tenses: Ik heb de foto opgehangen (I have hung the photo up). De schilderijen zijn opgehangen aan de muur (The paintings are hung on the wall). In passive constructions the form is De foto is opgehangen. Adjectivally, it can describe objects that have been mounted, e.g., een opgehangen schilderij.

Beyond literal hanging, the term appears in legal and historical contexts to denote an execution by hanging. Such usage is primarily found in historical descriptions; today the death penalty has been abolished or restricted in most jurisdictions, making this sense largely of historical interest.

Etymology: from ophangen, with the separable prefix op-, 'hangen' derives from the Germanic root for hanging. See also ophangen, hanger, ophanging.