fassen

From Middle High German vazzen, from Old High German fazzōn, from Proto-Germanic *fatōną (“to fetch, hold”). Cognate with English fetch.

• IPA^(key): /ˈfasn̩/, /ˈfasən/
• Hyphenation: fas‧sen

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fassen (weak, third-person singular present fasst or (nonstandard) fässt, past tense fasste, past participle gefasst, auxiliary haben)

1. to gird, to surround, to confine into a form
   • 1981, Gregor von Rezzori, Der arbeitslose König. Maghrebinische Märchen, Gütersloh: C. Bertelsmann, page 98:

     Einer von ihnen hat diese Quelle fassen und in den Brunnen leiten lassen, damit das brave ackerbebauende Volk daran seinen Durst stillen und sein Vieh tränken könne.

     One of them had this spring bordered and led into the well so that the good arable people could quench their thirst and water their cattle.

2. to grasp, to catch

   Synonyms: greifen, packen

3. to seize, to capture

   Synonym: ergreifen

4. (reflexive) to compose oneself (to calm, to free from agitation)

   Synonym: beruhigen

5. (intransitive, usually negative) to accept, to believe (a misfortune)

   Ich fasse es nicht, dass sie weg ist.

   I can't believe she's gone.

• In the 2nd and 3rd person singular present, the standard form is fasst. An alternative umlauted form, fässt, is used colloquially in parts of northern Germany due to hypercorrection.

• “fassen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “fassen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “fassen” in Duden online
• “fassen” in OpenThesaurus.de