Siegeln

Siegeln is a German verb that means to seal or to affix a seal to something in order to authenticate, authorize, or close it. The action commonly involves applying a seal made of wax, metal, or an adhesive device to documents, envelopes, containers, or bindings, to indicate official approval or to secure contents. In archival, legal, and administrative contexts, siegeln denotes establishing verified authenticity or integrity by a seal.

The term derives from the noun Siegel, meaning seal. In usage, a document or item can be gesiegelt (sealed with a seal) or versiegelt (sealed, often in a broader sense such as closed off or secured). For example, a contract may be gesiegelt to show its binding authority, and a package might be versiegelt to prevent tampering. Prefix verbs related to siegeln include versiegeln (to seal or seal off) and absiegeln (to seal up or seal away).

Conjugation and forms: present tense follows regular weak-verb patterns. ich siegle, du siegelst, er siegelt; wir siegeln, ihr siegelt, sie siegeln. The past participle is gesiegelt, and the auxiliary used with it is typically haben (hat gesiegelt). In modern usage, digital authentication tends to use terms like signieren or elektronisch signieren, while siegeln remains common for physical or formal closure and certification.

Related concepts include das Siegel (the seal) and die Versiegelung (the act or result of sealing). The verb and its derivatives are widely used in legal, postal, logistics, and archival language.