poison
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poison
A substance that can cause serious harm to health or death when taken into a living organism; a toxin or poison.
Das Gift dieser Schlange wirkt innerhalb von Minuten tödlich.
The poison of this snake is deadly within minutes.
'Das Gift' means 'poison' in German. It is one of the best-known false friends because it looks like the English word 'gift' (present). A gift is 'das Geschenk' in German.
Zum Geburtstag habe ich ein tolles Geschenk bekommen.
I got a great gift for my birthday.
In the figurative sense, 'Gift' describes something that has a very harmful effect on a situation or relationship. In this context, it is often used with the preposition 'für' (for): 'etwas ist Gift für ...' (something is poison for ...).
Ständige Eifersucht ist Gift für eine Partnerschaft.
Constant jealousy is poison for a relationship.
The idiom 'darauf kannst du Gift nehmen' means that something is absolutely certain. It expresses that you can rely on a statement one hundred percent.
Der Chef wird mit dem Ergebnis unzufrieden sein, darauf kannst du Gift nehmen.
The boss will be unhappy with the result; you can bet on it.
The adjective related to 'das Gift' (poison) is 'giftig' (poisonous). It describes things that contain poison or are poisonous, for example 'eine giftige Schlange' (a poisonous snake) or 'eine giftige Pflanze' (a poisonous plant).
Vorsicht, dieser Pilz ist giftig!
Careful, this mushroom is poisonous!
poisoning
'Gift' and 'Vergiftung' are closely related, but they do not mean the same thing. 'Gift' is the harmful substance itself. 'Vergiftung' is the condition or effect in the body after someone has taken in poison. In a figurative sense, too, 'Gift' is more like something harmful that has an effect, while 'Vergiftung' describes the harmful change in a mood or relationship. Learners may confuse the words because both have to do with harm. Remember: 'Gift' is the cause; 'Vergiftung' is the result.
Das Gift in der Pflanze kann für kleine Kinder gefährlich sein.
The poison in the plant can be dangerous for small children.
Nach dem Essen bekam der Gast starke Schmerzen und der Arzt vermutete eine Vergiftung.
After the meal, the guest developed severe pain, and the doctor suspected poisoning.