beuten

Beuten is the plural form of the German noun Beute and refers to something that has been captured or taken as spoil. The term covers prey of predators, loot or plunder obtained through hunting, warfare, or crime. It is used in historical, legal, and everyday contexts to denote items or goods that have been seized or acquired by force or predation.

In grammar, Beute is feminine: die Beute. The plural is Beuten, and the definite article forms are die Beute / die Beuten; in the genitive and dative they appear as der Beute, der Beuten and der Beute, den Beuten, respectively. Beute is commonly used without further specification and often appears in compound expressions such as Kriegsbeute or Jagdbeute.

Historical and biological usage: In medieval and early modern Europe, Beute denoted spoils of war distributed among soldiers or seized from churches and towns. In wildlife contexts, Beute denotes the prey consumed by predators; Beutegreifer means predator and Beutetiere means prey animals. In archaeology or ethnography, Beute can refer to looted artifacts or goods taken during conflict or upheaval.

Modern usage and notes: In crime reporting Beute is used to describe stolen goods; in everyday German, Beute remains common vocabulary, while Beuten as a plural is typically used when referring to multiple items of loot or multiple prey items. The term has cognates in related West Germanic languages and remains a standard part of the German lexicon for referring to what is seized or captured.