auskleiden

Auskleiden is a German verb with several related senses connected to clothing and coverings. In everyday use, it most often means to clothe or dress someone or something. When used transitively with a person or object, it refers to providing clothing or dressing the subject in a specified attire. In the reflexive form, sich auskleiden means to undress oneself.

In other contexts auskleiden can also mean to line, coat, or cover the interior or surface of a space or object with material. This sense is common in construction, design, or stagecraft, where a space, cavity, or container is finished by adding a lining or outer layer, such as walls or cases.

The term originates from the prefix aus- (out, away) and kleiden (to clothe). It is a separable verb, so the prefix is typically separated in finite verb forms, with the stem appearing earlier in the sentence.

See also related terms such as einkleiden (to clothe, in formal contexts), ankleiden (to dress), and sich auskleiden (to undress). Examples in English translations: to clothe someone; to undress oneself; to line a structure with material.

This concise overview covers the main uses of auskleiden in German, highlighting its role as both a clothing verb and a surface-working verb depending on context.