Preisgegeben

Preisgegeben is the past participle of the German verb preisgeben, meaning to disclose, reveal, or betray something that was previously kept secret. It can also indicate exposing information or a plan to others, and in a reflexive use it can mean to expose oneself to risk or to surrender oneself emotionally or physically. The nuance ranges from neutral dissemination to a pejorative sense of betrayal, depending on context.

Origin and usage notes: preisgeben is a compound formed with geben and the prefix preis-, which in this verb conveys the idea of giving away or making known rather than the monetary sense of price. The term is common in journalism, politics, literature, and everyday language whenever secrecy or confidentiality is broken or abandoned. As a participle it is used with the auxiliary haben in perfect tenses (e.g., hat preisgegeben) and with sein in certain reflexive or intransitive constructions (sich preisgeben).

Grammatical and nominal forms: The verb behaves as a strong/irregular verb in the present tense (ich gebe preis, du gibst preis, er gibt preis). The accompanying past participle is preisgegeben. The noun Preisgabe (die) denotes the act or process of disclosure or surrender, as in die Preisgabe von Geheimnissen or die Preisgabe des Plans.

Examples:

- Das Geheimnis wurde von einem Informanten preisgegeben.

- Er hat den Namen in der Presse preisgegeben.

- Sich preisgeben bedeutet hier, sich bewusst gefährlichem Risiko auszusetzen oder sich emotional zu öffnen.

See also: Preisgabe as a general term for the act of disclosing or surrendering, and related verbs such as enthüllen, offenbaren, verraten.