kassieren

Kassieren is a German verb meaning to convert money from monetary instruments into cash or to handle payments at a cash register. In retail and banking, the term describes the actions performed by cashiers: receiving payments, giving change, and issuing receipts, or redeeming instruments such as checks or vouchers.

In everyday usage, kassieren also means to collect money due or to settle a transaction. For example, one can “einen Scheck kassieren” (to cash a check) or “Geld an der Kasse kassieren” (to collect payment at the register). The word can refer both to the act of processing payments and to the person who performs it, the cashier (Kassierer, Kassiererin).

Kassieren appears in various idioms. “eine Karte kassieren” can mean to receive a card, but more commonly to incur a penalty in sports (eine rote Karte kassieren) or to receive a reprimand or penalty (eine Abmahnung kassieren, eine Strafe kassieren, eine Niederlage kassieren).

Grammatical note: kassieren is a regular verb. It forms the perfect with haben: “Ich habe den Scheck kassiert.” Conjugation follows standard patterns (du kassierst, wir kassieren, er kassierte, etc.).

Etymology: The verb is derived from Kasse, the cash register or cash, with the verb-forming suffix -ieren, yielding a term that spans monetary transactions and cash handling.