gezeugt

Gezeugt is the past participle of the German verb zeugen, meaning to beget or to conceive, and it is used to indicate that a child has been conceived or begotten. In everyday language it refers primarily to biological reproduction, signaling the moment of conception rather than birth. The term is also encountered in theological contexts to describe the conception of Jesus.

Etymology and usage notes: zeugen originates from older Germanic roots and has developed a sense related to producing offspring. The related noun Zeugung denotes the act of begetting or procreation, while gezeugt functions as the participial form describing someone or something that has been conceived or begotten. In modern prose, gezeugt is most common in formal, scientific, or religious texts. It is distinct from geboren, which refers to the moment of birth.

Contexts: In biology and medicine, gezeugt is used in technical descriptions of reproduction and conception, for example in discussions of fertilization and embryogenesis. In Christian theology, gezeugt is used in phrasing such as gezeugt durch den Heiligen Geist to denote the conception of Jesus. The term can also appear in historical or documentary writing when describing genealogies or origins in a precisely framed way.

Related terms: Zeugung (the act of begetting), zeugen (to beget or to bear witness), and equivalents in other languages. In religious contexts, gezeugt is often linked with phrases about divine intervention in conception; in secular contexts, more common alternatives describe pregnancy or fertilization more indirectly.

Overall, gezeugt conveys the conception aspect of reproductive events and is most at home in formal, theological, or scientific German.