einprägen

Einprägen is a German verb with two primary senses: to imprint or engrave something physically, and to commit information to memory. In the literal sense, it describes pressing a design, stamp, or inscription into a material, such as metal, clay, or leather. In the figurative sense, it denotes memorization—making a fact, sequence, or pattern durable in memory.

Etymology and grammar: The word is formed from ein- (in) and prägen (to stamp, press). It is a separable verb: in present tense you may hear ich präge mir das Bild ein, du prägst dir die Nummer ein, er prägt sich den Text ein. The perfect tense uses the auxiliary haben: ich habe mir den Text eingeprägt. The noun form Einprägung denotes the act or result of imprinting.

Usage: In everyday language, sich etwas einpräggen means to memorize something or to have it stick in one’s mind. Phrase examples include: Ich habe mir die Telefonnummern eingeprägt; Die Melodie hat sich mir eingeprägt. The verb emphasizes durability of memory; synonyms include merken or sich merken, depending on context.

In science and education: In psychology and pedagogy, Einprägung refers to the encoding of information into long-term memory, and is sometimes used interchangeably with memory encoding. In ethology, the related English term imprinting describes rapid, lasting imprinting of a young animal, a concept closely associated in German with Einprägung.