händigen

Händigen is a German transitive verb meaning to hand over or deliver something to someone, typically by an authorized person. It governs both a direct object (what is handed) and a recipient in the dative case (to whom it is handed). A common construction is jemanden etwas händigen, for example: Der Notar händigte dem Mandanten die Urkunde aus; or in neutral terms: Die Unterlagen wurden dem Empfänger gehändigt.

The past participle is gehändigt, and the verb is used with the auxiliary haben in perfect tenses (die Urkunde ist gehändigt worden). In many formal or bureaucratic contexts the passive form is frequent: Die Unterlagen wurden dem Kläger gehändigt. The verb is typically treated as a regular (weak) verb in German, though actual conjugation forms are often omitted in compact references.

Etymology traces händigen to the noun Hand with the verbal suffix -en, reflecting the action of delivering something by hand. Historically the term has been common in administrative, legal, and official language, marking a formal act of transfer.

Usage and nuance: händigen emphasizes the act of delivering something to a specific recipient, often in an official capacity. It is closely related to, but more formal than, synonyms such as übergeben or aushändigen; over time, ausgehändigt has become a common variant to stress the outward delivery of documents or items.

See also: übergeben, aushändigen, überreichen, Übergabe.