Zerreissen

Zerreissen, in standard German, corresponds to zerreißen, meaning to tear apart or rip into pieces. The spelling Zerreissen with a capital Z is nonstandard and may appear as a stylized form, a brand name, or a title. The prefix zer- attached to reißen conveys destruction or dissolution, giving the core sense of tearing or rupture. The word also appears in figurative contexts to describe ruptures of non-physical things such as plans or relationships.

In everyday usage, zerreißen can describe objects being ripped: “Ich zerreiße das Papier” or “Der Sturm zerreißt das Segel.” It is also used metaphorically: “Die Nachricht zerreißt ihn innerlich” or “Diese Krise zerreißt die Gemeinschaft.”

Grammatical notes: the past participle is zerrissen, used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses (“das Papier ist zerrissen”). The simple past is zerriss (ich zerriss, du zerrissest, er zerriss). The noun form das Zerreißen denotes the act or process of tearing apart. The related base verb reißen covers broader senses of tearing and ripping.

Zerreißen is common in literature, journalism, and everyday speech, both literally and figuratively, reflecting themes of damage, rupture, and upheaval.