ausgleichen

Ausgleichen is a German verb meaning to balance, compensate, equalize, or reconcile. It describes the act of making two sides, differences, or conditions reach parity, removing a deficit, or settling a discrepancy. The exact nuance depends on context, from finances to engineering to social affairs.

Etymology and grammar: The term derives from aus- meaning “out” or “completely” and gleichen meaning “to equal.” It is a separable-prefix verb. In present tense, the prefix is separated: Ich gleiche den Schaden aus. The past participle is ausgeglichen, used with haben: Ich habe den Schaden ausgeglichen.

Typical uses: In finance and accounting, Einnahmen müssen die Ausgaben ausgleichen or ein Budget muss den Verlust ausgleichen. In engineering or physics, a rotating component must ausgewogen/ausgeglichen werden to reduce vibration; one also speaks of den Unwucht ausgleichen (balancing the imbalance). In social or policy contexts, Ausgleich means reconciling interests or providing compensation, such as Ausgleich zwischen Arm und Reich or Ausgleichszahlungen.

Ausgleich as a noun: The noun der Ausgleich denotes balance, offset, or compensation, and appears in compounds such as Ausgleichszahlung (compensation payment) or Ausgleichsleistung. The concept underpins many legal, financial, and technical contexts.