interner

Interner is a term with several related but distinct uses in different languages, most commonly tied to the concept of internment or internal membership.

In English, the principal sense is historic and literary: an internee is a person detained or held in internment by a government or occupying power, often during war or political upheaval. The act of detaining is internment, and internee is the usual noun. The form interner is encountered as an archaic or less common variant in some historical texts or editorial contexts.

In German, the standard noun for a person who has been interned is Internierter (masculine) or Internierte (feminine). The form Interner is not common in standard usage, though it may appear in some contexts as an informal or nonstandard variant. The corresponding verb is internieren, meaning to intern or detain.

In Dutch, the act is interneren (to intern), and a person who is interned is typically called an internee. The form interner is uncommon in modern Dutch.

Across contexts, interner terminology is closely tied to internment practices and legal regimes governing detention. International law distinguishes between lawful internment in armed conflict and unlawful detention, with various rights and protections depending on jurisdiction and historical period.

See also: internment, internees, internee, interned person.