erhöht

Erhöht is a German word with two principal uses. It is the past participle of the verb erhöhen, meaning to increase or raise something. It is also used as an adjective meaning “raised” or “increased” to describe nouns, for example erhöhte Preise (increased prices) or erhöhte Temperaturen (raised temperatures). In adjectival use, the form changes to fit gender, number, and case.

Etymology: The verb erhöhen is formed with the prefix er- attached to the stem erhöhen (to heighten/raise). The noun Erhöhung means “an increase” and is related to the same root. The participle and adjective forms share the same origin but serve different grammatical roles in sentences.

Usage notes: As a past participle, erhöht appears in perfect and passive constructions: Wir haben die Preise erhöht (We have raised the prices); Die Preise wurden erhöht (The prices were increased). As an adjective, it can take endings to agree with the noun: erhöhte Preise, erhöhte Temperaturen, or die erhöhten Preise (after definite article). In technical and scientific registers, erhöht is used to describe values that lie above a baseline, such as erhöhte Leberwerte (elevated liver enzymes).

See also: erhöhen (the verb), Erhöhung (the noun for “increase”). The term is common in economics, meteorology, medicine, and everyday contexts when noting that something has been or is to be raised or has risen beyond previous levels.