schädige

Schädige is a conjugated form of the German verb schädigen, meaning to damage or injure. As the first-person singular present tense form, ich schädige translates to “I damage.” The same form can also appear in Konjunktiv I (indirect speech), where contexts indicate mood rather than a different meaning.

Schädigen is a transitive verb; it takes a direct object, for example: Ich schädige die Pflanze. The term is used across contexts ranging from accidental or negligent harm to deliberate damage, including environmental, physical, or financial harm.

Etymology and related forms: The verb schädigen derives from the noun Schaden (damage) and the common German verb-forming suffix -igen. Its roots go back to Old High German scādan and related Proto-Germanic origins meaning injury or harm. The noun Schädigung (damage or injury) is related and frequently used in legal, medical, and technical language.

Usage notes: Schädige itself is a plain, neutral verb form. In formal or written German, other tenses and forms (infinitive schädigen, participles wie geschädigt) are used to express different times and aspects. The term is primarily linguistic and grammatical, but its use in examples often concerns harm to objects, environments, or reputations.