optrekken

Optrekken is a Dutch verb formed from op- and trekken (to pull). It has several related meanings, all centered on lifting, drawing up, or assembling. In everyday language it often refers to pulling something upward by applying a force.

In a literal, physical sense optrekken means to raise or draw up by pulling. This includes actions like het optrekken van kleding (pulling up clothing such as broek of sokken) and het optrekken van een rits (zipping up). In sports and fitness, optrekken is the pull-up exercise, where a person pulls themselves upward to raise the chin above a bar.

In a broader, figurative sense optrekken can mean to assemble or muster forces or resources. In a military context troepen optrekken refers to mobilizing or moving troops into position.

The verb is also used in construction or engineering to mean erecting or raising a structure, as in a wall optrekken or a building optrekken, where the sense is to raise by assembling components or materials.

Etymologically, optrekken combines op- (up, upward) with trekken (to pull), a productive pattern in Dutch for verbs that express lifting, drawing up, or bringing something into existence.

Optrekken appears in various registers, from everyday tasks (pulling up clothing) to sports terminology (pull-ups) and formal contexts (military mobilization, construction). The precise meaning depends on the object and context, but all senses share the underlying idea of bringing something upward or into a prepared state.