abgebissen

Abgebissen is the past participle of the German verb abbeißen, meaning to bite off or detach by biting. It is used with the auxiliary haben in perfect tenses, as in Der Hund hat mir den Schuh abgebissen. As an adjective or attributive participle, abgebissen describes something that has been bitten off, for example ein abgebissenes Stück Knochen or abgebissene Zähne.

Etymology and grammar: abbeißen is a prefix verb formed from ab- and beißen (to bite). The past participle is abgebissen, which remains in one piece in compound tenses with haben (Der Hund hat abgebissen). In attributive position the participle is inflected like an adjective (ein abgebissenes Stück, abgebissene Knochenreste).

Usage: The term is common in everyday language when something is damaged or removed by biting, typically by animals but also by humans in accidental contexts. It can describe tangible objects (shoes, toys, bones) as well as figurative cases where something has been “bitten off” or removed.

Examples:

- Der Hund hat mir den Schuh abgebissen.

- Auf dem Spielzeug war ein abgebissenes Stück Holz zu sehen.

- Der Zahn ist abgebissen, was zu einer Verletzung führte, wurde behoben.

Notes: Abgebissen is closely related to abbrechen in meaning but specifically connotes biting off rather than breaking. It is distinct from abgebrochen, which signals something broken or snapped rather than bitten. The word is neutral and primarily descriptive, suitable for dictionaries, encyclopedic text, and standard prose.