abgeführt

Abgeführt is the past participle of the German verb abführen. It is used in several distinct contexts with related but different meanings, depending on what is being led away, diverted, or discharged. In everyday language it can describe the act of transferring something to another authority, evacuating a body, or leading someone away by force or order.

In financial and administrative usage, abführen denotes remitting or transferring payments or assets to an authority or institution. Common examples include taxes, social security contributions, or other revenues that are sent to the state or a public entity. The phrase Die Umsatzsteuer wird abgeführt is typical, indicating that the tax has been paid into the treasury.

In medical and physiological contexts, abführen refers to evacuating bodily contents, especially causing a bowel movement. Abführmittel are laxatives that induce defecation, and the verb appears in medical descriptions of procedures or treatments intended to evacuate the intestines.

In civil engineering and environmental contexts, abführen means to drain, divert, or discharge liquids such as wastewater, groundwater, or rainwater into a sewer or drainage system. Abführung von Abwasser describes the process of guiding used water away from buildings and streets.

In police, legal, or general usage, abführen can also mean to escort or transport someone away, for example by law enforcement. A suspect can be abgeführt to a station, or a person may be abgeführt from a scene under order.

Etymologically, abführen combines ab- (away) with führen (to lead, to conduct), conveying the sense of guiding something away from its source to a destination. The exact sense is determined by the object of the action, whether funds, fluids, people, or solid matter.

---