strapazieren

Strapazieren is a German verb meaning to subject something to strain, to test its limits, or to exhaust it. It can refer to physical strain on objects or materials as well as to fatigue or stress on living beings. It is transitive, typically taking a direct object in the accusative (for example: die Nerven strapazieren, die Geduld strapazieren, die Materialien strapazieren).

In physical contexts, strapazieren describes wear or damage caused by use or stress. A training regime may strapazieren the muscles or joints; a machine or material can be strapaziert when it is pushed beyond ordinary limits. In everyday language, the sense is often one of repeated or prolonged stress rather than a single incident.

In figurative usage, strapazieren refers to testing a person’s endurance, patience, or nerves. Expressions like „Die langen Wartezeiten strapazieren die Nerven“ are common. For emphasizing excessive strain, the compound verb überstrapazieren is used, as in „Das Training hat ihn überstrapaziert“ or „Der Konflikt hat die Geduld der Beteiligten überstrapaziert.“

Related forms and terms include strapazierfähig, meaning durable or resistant; Strapaze as a hardship or strain (Strapazen in the plural); and the verb overstraining via überstrapazieren. The noun forms are used in both everyday and technical language, depending on context.

Examples:

- Das lange Arbeiten strapaziert die Nerven der Mitarbeiter.

- Der Marathon strapaziert die Muskulatur, besonders bei untrainierten Läufern.

- Die langen Verzögerungen strapazieren die Geduld der Zuschauer; man sollte die Situation nicht weiter überstrapazieren.

Strapazieren is a standard, neutral term in German for describing wear, stress, or fatigue caused by strain, with both literal and figurative applications.