limitation period
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limitation period
The legal situation in which, after a legally defined period has expired, a claim can no longer be enforced in court or a criminal offense can no longer be prosecuted.
Die Forderung ist nicht mehr gültig, da die Verjährung bereits eingetreten ist.
The claim is no longer valid because the limitation period has already expired.
The word comes from the verb 'verjähren' (to become time-barred). It contains the word 'Jahr' (year). So it describes a process in which a legal claim expires through the passing of years.
Viele Straftaten verjähren nach einer bestimmten Anzahl von Jahren.
Many criminal offenses become time-barred after a certain number of years.
'Verjährung' (limitation period) is a technical term from legal language. It is not used in everyday speech to express that something happened a long time ago.
Der Anwalt prüfte, ob bei der Straftat bereits die Verjährung eingetreten war.
The lawyer checked whether the limitation period for the criminal offense had already expired.
Common verbs used in connection with 'Verjährung' (limitation period) are 'eintreten' (to occur/take effect) and 'unterbrechen' (to interrupt). When the deadline has expired, 'tritt die Verjährung ein' (the limitation period takes effect).
Durch die Klage wurde die Verjährung der Forderung unterbrochen.
The lawsuit interrupted the limitation period for the claim.
decay / expiration
'Verfall' and 'Verjährung' can both have to do with a deadline. With 'Verfall', the general idea is that validity or a claim ends after a certain period of time. This can happen, for example, with vouchers, tickets, or claims. 'Verjährung' is a legal word: after a statutory deadline, a claim can no longer be enforced in court, or a criminal offense can no longer be prosecuted. Learners may confuse the words because both refer to an ending after time has passed. 'Verfall' is more general, while 'Verjährung' clearly belongs to the legal field.
Nach der Verjährung kann die alte Forderung nicht mehr gerichtlich durchgesetzt werden.
After the limitation period has expired, the old claim can no longer be enforced in court.
Vor dem Verfall des Gutscheins möchte Lisa ihn noch einlösen.
Before the voucher expires, Lisa wants to redeem it.