temporary / provisional
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temporary / provisional
Valid for a limited time; preliminary or provisional. Often used in legal or official contexts.
Das Gericht hat eine einstweilige Verfügung gegen den Bau erlassen.
The court issued a temporary injunction against the construction.
The word is made up of 'einst' (formerly, once) and 'Weile' (period of time). So it describes something that applies only 'for a while' or temporarily.
Die Regelung ist nur einstweilig und wird bald durch eine endgültige ersetzt.
The regulation is only temporary and will soon be replaced by a final one.
'Einstweilig' (temporary/provisional) belongs to formal administrative and legal language. It is rarely used in everyday speech.
Der Richter ordnete die einstweilige Unterbringung des Zeugen an.
The judge ordered the witness's temporary accommodation.
The most common and important combination is 'einstweilige Verfügung' (temporary injunction). This is a quick, provisional court decision in an urgent case.
Mit einer einstweiligen Verfügung konnte der Verkauf vorerst gestoppt werden.
With a temporary injunction, the sale could be stopped for the time being.
final
'endgültig' and 'einstweilig' both describe how fixed an arrangement is. 'endgültig' means: it is the final decision and is meant to stay that way. 'einstweilig' means: it applies only for a limited time until something is settled finally later. 'einstweilig' often sounds formal and frequently appears in official or court contexts. The practical difference is: 'endgültig' is permanent, while 'einstweilig' is only provisional.
Das Gericht trifft heute eine einstweilige Entscheidung.
The court is making a provisional decision today.
Nach dem Gespräch steht der Plan endgültig fest.
After the conversation, the plan is finally settled.