geirrt

Geirrt is the past participle of the German reflexive verb sich irren, meaning to be mistaken or to err. It is most commonly found in the perfect tense with the auxiliary haben, used in reflexive constructions such as “sich irren.”

In standard usage, geirrt appears with the appropriate reflexive pronoun that matches the subject: ich habe mich geirrt, du hast dich geirrt, er/sie/es hat sich geirrt, wir haben uns geirrt, ihr habt euch geirrt, sie/Sie haben sich geirrt. The form indicates that the subject’s judgment or belief was mistaken. It is typically not used as a standalone adjective; instead, it functions within the phrase to express personal error.

Etymology traces geirrt to the verb irren, which derives from older Germanic roots and is cognate with the English word err, ultimately linked to the Latin errare meaning to wander or err. The ge- prefix is the standard participle formation in German for many verbs.

Usage context and nuance: geirrt is used to convey that the speaker or others realized an error in belief, memory, or assertion. It appears primarily in past-time constructions, rather than as a fixed attribute of a thing. For expressing general error, German often uses synonyms such as falsch (false) or irrig (erroneous); geirrt specifically emphasizes personal misjudgment.

See also: irren, Irrtum, Fehler.