ausscheiden

Ausscheiden is a German verb with several related meanings centered on removal, departure, or withdrawal. The noun Ausscheidung denotes the act or process of excretion, elimination, or withdrawal. In everyday use, Ausscheiden can refer to the physical removal of substances from a living body as well as to the withdrawal of a person or thing from a group, competition, or position.

Etymology: The word is formed from the prefix aus- meaning “out” and scheiden meaning “to part, separate.”

Uses and senses

- Excretion and elimination: In physiology and medicine, Ausscheiden describes the removal of waste products from the body, such as urine, feces, and sweat. The process involves organs such as the kidneys, liver, intestines, and skin and is discussed in terms like Ausscheidung, Ausscheidungswege, and Ausscheidungsgeschwindigkeit.

- Withdrawal or elimination from a group or process: In social and organizational contexts, scheiden means to leave or be eliminated. Examples include a candidate who “scheidet aus dem Wettbewerb” or a member who “ist aus dem Verein ausgeschieden.” The standard perfect form is “ist ausgeschieden.”

- Office or position: In political or administrative contexts, one may say that someone “aus dem Amt ausscheidet” to resign or retire from office.

See also: Ausscheidung, Exkretion, Ausschluss, Elimination, Scheiden.