kwijt

Kwijt is a Dutch term used as an adjective and adverb to indicate that something is lost or no longer in the speaker’s possession. It is commonly used with forms of the verb zijn, as in ik ben mijn sleutels kwijt, meaning I have lost my keys. Kwijt can also appear with the verb kwijtraken, which means to lose something: ik ben mijn sleutels kwijtgeraakt.

The word covers both concrete items and more abstract notions. For example, one can say ik ben tijd kwijt (I have wasted time or I’m out of time) and hij is veel geld kwijt aan reparaties (he has spent a lot of money on repairs). It is a frequent, everyday alternative to verliezen in informal speech.

Usage notes and variations: kwijt is most natural in colloquial contexts. It tends to appear in fixed phrases such as iets kwijt zijn, iets kwijt raken, or tijd kwijt zijn. In more formal writing, verliezen is often preferred, but kwijt remains widely understood and used in spoken Dutch.

Etymology and related forms: kwijt is an inherent Dutch adjective dating back several centuries and remains intact in modern Dutch. Related verbs include kwijtraken (to lose something) and the adjective phrase kwijt zijn (to be without or to have lost something).

See also: kwijtraken, verliezen, kwijt raken, kwijt zijn.