beglichen

Beglichen is the past participle of the German verb begleichen. The primary meaning is to settle or satisfy a claim, debt, or account, typically by paying what is owed. In formal or legal writing, beglichen is used to describe something that has been paid or resolved, such as a bill, a debt, or a claim. It can also denote the resolution of a dispute, as in a case that has been settled. In everyday speech, more common verbs like bezahlen or erledigen are often used, but beglichen remains standard in formal contexts.

The verb is formed with the prefix be- attached to a root related to Gleich, historically bearing the sense of making accounts equal or balancing them. Beglichen functions both as a finite participle (used with an auxiliary such as sein in perfect tenses) and as an adjective when declined attributively or predicatively. For example: Die Rechnung ist beglichen. (The bill has been settled.) Eine beglichene Rechnung. (A settled/paid bill.)

Usage notes and nuances:

- Beglichen emphasizes the completion or fulfillment of an obligation rather than merely paying at the moment of action.

- It is commonly encountered in financial, legal, and bureaucratic language, and appears in phrases such as Forderung beglichen or Streit beglichen.

- Related verbs include begleichen, which shares the same root and broader sense of settling accounts; bezahlen is more colloquial for “to pay.”

See also: begleichen, bezahlen, erledigen.