verdient

Verdient is a form used in Dutch and German with related meanings around earning and deserving. In Dutch, verdienen means to earn or to deserve; verdien- stems; "verdient" is the present tense third-person singular: "Hij verdient veel geld." The corresponding past participle is "verdiend," used in perfect tenses: "Hij heeft veel geld verdiend."

In German, verdienen means to earn or deserve; "verdient" is the present tense form for er/sie/es: "Er verdient viel Geld." It also serves as the past participle of verdienen: "Er hat viel Geld verdient." As an adjective, "verdient" can describe something deserved: "eine verdiente Pause" (a well-deserved break) and inflects to match the noun: "ein verdientes Mitglied," "eine verdiente Anerkennung."

Etymology: Both Dutch and German come from a common West Germanic root; cognates exist in other languages as well.

Usage notes: In Dutch, do not confuse "verdient" with "verdiend," which is the past participle. In German, the participle "verdient" is invariant in compound tenses; used as an adjective with inflection.

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