Ertrinken
Example: Viele Menschen können im kalten Wasser schnell ertrinken.
Definition
"Ertrinken" means to die by suffocating in water or another liquid, typically by being submerged and unable to breathe. It describes the fatal process of losing life due to inhaling water instead of air, as in the phrase 'Viele Menschen können im kalten Wasser schnell ertrinken.'
Etymology
The German word "ertrinken" comes from the Middle High German 'ertrinken,' which combines the prefix 'er-' indicating completion or destruction, with 'trinken,' meaning 'to drink.' Interestingly, it literally suggests 'to drink oneself to death,' reflecting the fatal intake of water during drowning.
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"Ertrinken" appears in the Vocaplus list "German - General - (B1) - set 4", containing 113 commonly used words.
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