Weglassung

Weglassung is a German term that denotes the act of omitting or leaving something out. In practice, it can refer to the omission of words, phrases, clauses, or steps in various contexts, and is related to the broader concept of Auslassung. The standard verb form is weglassen, and the common noun forms are Weglassen (the act of omitting) and Auslassung. Weglassung as a dedicated noun variant with a double-s consonant, “Weglassung,” appears in some texts but is less widely used and not always considered standard.

In linguistics and rhetoric, Weglassung describes deliberate omissions in speech or writing, often used for conciseness, emphasis, or stylistic effect. It can affect sentence structure and meaning by removing elements that are syntactically permissible but economically redundant. In textual criticism and manuscript studies, Weglassung denotes missing portions in a copy or edition, which scholars infer or reconstruct based on other sources. In legal and contractual drafting, Weglassung refers to the absence of required terms or clauses and can influence interpretation, necessitating supplementation or clarification to prevent ambiguity.

The concept also appears in logic and mathematics as gaps where a premise, step, or justification is omitted, though the term Auslassung or simply omission is more commonly employed in formal discussions.

See also: Auslassung, Weglassen, Ellipse, Lacuna.