der Suizid
suicide
The act in which a person intentionally ends their own life; self-killing.
EXAMPLE
Die hohe Zahl der Suizide in dieser Altersgruppe ist alarmierend.
The high number of suicides in this age group is alarming.
der Suizid
suicide
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Meanings
Suizid begehen
to die by suicide
To carry out the act of killing oneself. This is the most common fixed expression used to talk about carrying out a suicide.
EXAMPLE
Nach langer Krankheit hatte er versucht, Suizid zu begehen.
After a long illness, he had tried to die by suicide.
Usage tips
Typical collocation
The most important and most common collocation is 'Suizid begehen' (to die by suicide / to commit suicide). This verb is used as the standard way in German to express the action.
EXAMPLE
Es ist eine Tragödie, wenn ein junger Mensch Suizid begeht.
It is a tragedy when a young person dies by suicide.
Register
'Suizid' (suicide) is the neutral, medical, and legal term. It is used in the news, in science, and in official contexts.
EXAMPLE
Die Statistik erfasst alle Suizide des letzten Jahres.
The statistics record all suicides from last year.
Word structure
The word comes from Latin: 'sui' means 'of oneself' and 'caedere' means 'to kill'. The literal meaning is therefore 'Selbsttötung' (self-killing), which helps you remember the word.
EXAMPLE
Der Begriff Suizid wurde im 18. Jahrhundert geprägt.
The term suicide was coined in the 18th century.
Other expressions
Besides 'Suizid begehen' (to die by suicide / to commit suicide), there are also other fixed expressions, for example 'jemanden in den Suizid treiben' (to drive someone to suicide), or expressions used in connection with statistics such as 'die Suizidrate' (the suicide rate).
EXAMPLE
Mobbing kann Menschen in den Suizid treiben.
Bullying can drive people to suicide.
Compare with
Suizid vs Selbstmord
suicide
Both words refer to the intentional ending of one's own life. Suizid is generally considered the more neutral and technical term today, while Selbstmord can sound judgmental or stigmatizing to some people. Suizid is therefore often the more appropriate choice in factual or sensitive information.
Suizid
Der Bericht der Klinik sprach neutral von einem Suizid.
The clinic's report referred neutrally to a suicide.
Selbstmord
Der Zeitungsartikel bezeichnete den Tod als Selbstmord, was auf manche Leser wertend wirkte.
The newspaper article described the death as suicide, which sounded judgmental to some readers.
In real life
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