geslikt

Geslikt is the past participle of the Dutch verb slikken, meaning to swallow. It is used to form the perfect tense with have (hebben) as in Ik heb een pil geslikt, and in passive constructions such as De pil is geslikt (the pill has been swallowed). As an attributive or predicative adjective it can describe something that has been swallowed, with the usual Dutch adjective inflection: een geslikte pil, de geslikte pillen.

In everyday use, geslikt refers to literal swallowing of substances like pills or food. It can also appear in more formal medical or pharmacological contexts, for example in patient records or instructions: Een pil werd geslikt, of De patiënt heeft alle medicijnen geslikt. The verb is most common with direct objects that are swallowed, whereas for liquids a different verb like drinken is often used.

A figurative use of slikken exists in Dutch as well. The expression iets slikken means to accept or tolerate something, sometimes reluctantly. For example, Het nieuws moest hij slikken, or Het voorstel is niet te slikken, meaning it is hard to accept or unacceptable. This figurative use is common in journalism and everyday speech.

Etymology and cognates: Slikken is a Germanic verb related to German schlucken (to swallow). The Dutch geslikt corresponds to German geschluckt, and both forms share a common Old Dutch/Germanic root related to swallowing. The word is primarily used in Dutch and is understood in neighboring Dutch-speaking regions.