untergeben

Untergeben is a German verb meaning to subject or subordinate something or someone to a higher authority, or to submit oneself to that authority. The term is relatively formal and infrequently used in everyday speech; more common alternatives for subordination or submission include unterordnen, unterstellen, or sich unterordnen. The reflexive form sich untergeben denotes placing oneself under someone else’s authority, often with nuances of obedience, deference, or resignation.

The noun Untergebene refers to people who are subordinate to a person in a hierarchy; in English this corresponds to subordinates or dependents. The plural Untergebene appears in historical or formal texts, while a single subordinate is an Untergebener.

Etymology: the word combines unter- meaning “under” with geben meaning “to give,” historically conveying the sense of placing someone or something under someone’s control or authority. In modern usage, the term tends to appear in formal, legal, or historical registers rather than in casual language.

Related terms include Unterordnung (subordination), unterordnen (to subordinate), and sich unterordnen (to submit oneself). The concept is often discussed in contexts of power structures, obedience, or feudal and military hierarchies. In contemporary German, more neutral or concrete phrasing is usually preferred, with untergeben largely confined to formal, historical, or literary usage.