verliehene

Verliehene is the attributive form of the German past participle verliehen, derived from the verb verleihen, which means to lend, grant or confer. As an adjective, verliehene describes something that has already been lent, awarded or conferred, and it is declined according to gender, number and case of the noun it modifies.

Etymology and grammar: The base verb verleihen combines ver- with leihen (to lend). The past participle is verliehen, and when used attributively it takes endings such as verliehene, verliehenes or verliehene depending on the noun’s gender and case. Examples: der verliehene Preis (masc. nom. sg.), die verliehene Auszeichnung (fem. nom. sg.), das verliehene Zertifikat (neut. nom. sg.), die verliehenen Preise (pl.). The form can also appear in other cases with appropriate endings, for instance des verliehenen Preises, einer verliehenen Erlaubnis, etc.

Usage: Verliehene is commonly found in contexts describing awards, honors or permissions that have been granted, or, less frequently, in contexts describing items that have been lent when the connotation is the act of conferring or granting. In journalistic and formal prose, you may encounter phrases like die verliehene Auszeichnung oder der verliehene Preis. When the emphasis is on a loan rather than a conferment, speakers more often use geliehene (e.g., geliehene Gegenstände), though grammatically verliehene can still appear as an attributive adjective.

See also: verleihen, verliehen, verliehene Auszeichnungen, verliehene Preise.