gegrüßt

Gegrüßt is the past participle of the German verb grüßen, meaning to greet or to salute. It is formed with the prefix ge- and the stem grüß- plus the ending -t, as in ich habe dich gegrüßt. The participle is used with the auxiliary haben to form the perfect tense: Ich habe ihn gegrüßt.

Gegrüßt also appears in passive constructions with werden: Er wird gegrüßt; in the past passive: Er wurde gegrüßt. In addition, gegrüßt can function as an adjective when used attributively or predicatively, describing someone who has been greeted, for example der gegrüßte Gast or die gegrüßten Gäste. As an adjective, it agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case.

Orthography and usage notes: gegrüßt always retains the ß after the umlaut vowel gr-ü-ß-t, reflecting standard German spelling for verbs with the stem grüß- and the suffix -t. The ge- prefix marks a regular (non-separable) verb’s past participle; it does not indicate a separable prefix in this verb. The term is common in both spoken and written German, appearing in everyday conversation as well as formal contexts.

Etymology and related terms: grüßen derives from Old High German and Middle High German roots related to greeting or salute, with the noun Gruß (greeting) sharing the same origin. The language reflects the general German practice of forming past participles with ge- for regular verbs, linking the action of greeting to the resulting state or completed action.