verbreisen

Verbreisen is a German verb that is rarely used in contemporary standard German. In most current language references it is regarded as obsolete or dialectal, and the sense it is sometimes associated with is not clearly defined in everyday use. The word is more often encountered as a cautionary example of how prefixes can form new verbs, rather than as a regularly employed term.

In contrast, the related verbs verreisen and reisen are the standard ways to talk about traveling. Verreisen means to depart on a trip or to go away on travel, especially for leisure, and is widely used in everyday speech. Verbreiten, not to be confused with verbreisen, means to spread or disseminate information, ideas, or materials. The prefix ver- appears with both verreisen and verbreiten, but the roots Reise and Breiten are distinct, leading to different meanings and usages.

Usage and register: verfahren with verreisen is appropriate for describing personal travel, while verbreiten carries the sense of spreading something broadly. Because verbreisen is rarely attested in modern usage, writers and speakers generally avoid it in favor of verreisen, reisen, or the distribution-related verbreiten. If encountered, verbreisen is typically interpreted as an archaic, dialectal, or mistaken form rather than as a standard term.

See also: verreisen, reisen, verbreiten, Verbreitung.