eingeholter

Eingeholter is a German noun formed from the past participle eingeholt of the verb einholen. It refers to a person who has been brought in, fetched, or caught up, and is most often found in historical or literary contexts. In some older or regional usages the term designates a person who has been recruited or conscripted, or someone who has been captured or taken into custody. Because modern German tends to use more common terms such as eingezogener (for a conscript), Rekrut (recruit), or Gefangener (prisoner), the form Eingeholter is rare today and largely confined to historical documents, dialects, or quoted literature.

Etymology and form: derived from einholen, meaning to fetch in, catch up with, or obtain. Grammatically, Eingeholter is a masculine noun (der Eingeholter); feminine form die Eingeholte, plural die Eingeholten. As an adjective, eingeholter can describe something “fetched in” or “brought in,” but as a noun it denotes a person.

See also: einholen, eingezogen, Gefangener, Rekrut.

Notes: Do not confuse Eingeholter with the contemporary terms for conscription or capture in everyday language. The word is primarily of historical or literary interest.