vermissten

Vermissten is a German term with two main uses: a verb form and a noun. When written in lowercase as vermissten, it is the simple past tense (preterite) of the verb vermissen, used with plural subjects.

As a verb, vermissen means to miss someone emotionally or to notice the absence of someone or something. In the preterite, the forms include wir vermissten and sie vermissten, meaning “we missed” and “they missed,” respectively. The form vermissten by itself is the finite verb; the subject is indicated by pronouns or context. It occurs in narrative prose, reports, and everyday speech when recounting past misses or longings.

As a noun, the capitalized Vermissten (die Vermissten) refers to missing persons. The singular forms are der Vermisste (masculine) and die Vermisste (feminine); the plural is die Vermissten. The term is common in police bulletins, disaster reporting, and humanitarian contexts, though usage varies by country and institution.

Etymology and related terms: Vermissen is formed with the prefix ver- plus Missen, yielding a verb meaning to miss in the sense of longing or to be missing. The noun forms stem from the same root, with the related adjective vermisst meaning “missing” as in die vermisste Person. Related terms include Vermisst (participial adjective) and Vermisste/Vermissten in plural noun usage for groups of people who are unaccounted for.

In summary, vermissten can denote a grammatical past tense of a verb or refer to missing persons when capitalized as Vermissten, reflecting its dual role in German language usage.