gebissen

Gebissen is the past participle of the German verb beißen, meaning to bite. It is used to form the perfect tenses with the auxiliary haben, as in Der Hund hat mich gebissen (The dog bit me). It can also appear in the passive voice with werden, for example Der Mann ist von einem Hund gebissen worden (The man has been bitten by a dog).

Etymology and form: beißen is a strong, irregular verb with a participle formed with the prefix ge- and the stem biss-, yielding gebissen. The form reflects historical consonant changes in the Germanic verb and is one of several irregular participles that end in -ssen or -ssen-like patterns in modern German.

Usage notes: Gebissen primarily denotes that a biting action occurred and is used regardless of whether the bite was intentional or accidental. It can describe injuries or incidents involving animals or insects, as in Der Hund hat mich gebissen or Ich bin von einer Mücke gebissen worden. In narrative or descriptive contexts, the past participle contributes to perfect or passive constructions, rather than serving as an independent finite verb.

See also: beißen, the base verb; related forms include the present tense forms of beissen and other participles derived from irregular German verbs.