Vererbten

Vererbten is a form of the German verb vererben, which means to bequeath or to pass on by inheritance. In everyday language it is most commonly encountered as the simple past tense (Präteritum) for the third-person plural: sie vererbten, as in they bequeathed something. It can also appear as an inflected participle used as an adjective in the plural, for example in die vererbten Merkmale, meaning the inherited or inherited traits.

Grammatically, vererbten is the passé simple form of vererben in the plural, and it follows regular verb conjugation patterns in German. Beyond its finite form, vererbten can function as an uninflected or inflected participle in compound or adjectival use. When used adjectivally with definite articles, the ending -en is typical, yielding phrases such as die vererbten Merkmale (the inherited traits). In no-article contexts the adjective form would typically appear as vererbte Merkmale.

Usage and contexts vary. In legal contexts, vererben describes the act of transferring property, money, or assets to heirs through a will or estate plan. In biology and medicine, the related noun Vererbung refers to heredity, while inherited traits are often described using vererbte Merkmale or vererbte Gene. The term emphasizes a transmission from one generation to the next, whether of wealth, status, or biological characteristics.

Related terms include Vererbung (heredity), vererbtes Merkmal (an inherited trait), vererbt (as an adjective or past participle), and Erbschaft (inheritance). Vererbten therefore serves as a versatile form tied to both legal transfers and biological inheritance in German.