Versorge

Versorge is a German verb meaning to provide for someone's needs or to supply with what is required. It is used in contexts of personal care, material provisioning, and welfare, and can refer to supplying people, animals, or operations with necessary resources. The action is typically transitive and takes a recipient in the dative case, often with the thing provided expressed directly or introduced by mit (with). Examples: Ich versorge meine Familie mit Lebensmitteln (I provide my family with groceries). Wir müssen die Patienten ausreichend versorgen (We must provide for the patients adequately).

In everyday language versorgen is paired with nouns that denote what is supplied, such as Lebensmittel (food), Medikamente (medications), or Informationen (information). The related noun Versorgung denotes the broader system or act of provisioning or care, as in öffentliche Versorgung (public provision) or betriebliche Versorgungsketten (operational supply chains). Vorsorge refers to prevention or foresight, such as Altersvorsorge (retirement provision) or Gesundheitsvorsorge (health screening), and Fürsorge denotes welfare care or concern, often in a social context.

Etymology: versorgen derives from the prefix ver- combined with sorgen (to care, to worry), conveying the sense of arranging care or provisioning for someone or something. In contrast to vorsorgen, which emphasizes planning ahead, versorgen focuses on the actual act of supplying or caring in the present.

See also: Versorgung, Vorsorge, Fürsorge, versorgungslogik, Versorgungswesen.

In summary, versorgen describes the act of providing for needs or supplying necessities, while related terms distinguish between immediate provisioning (Versorgung) and future planning or welfare-related care (Vorsorge, Fürsorge).