Aufgabe

Borrowed from German Aufgabe.

Aufgabe (plural Aufgabes or Aufgaben)

1. (psychology) a predisposition toward particular mental operations inherent in the nature of a task or conveyed by the instructions for performing it
2. (psychology) a task or assignment (involving such a predisposition)
   • 1902, William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience, Folio Society 2008, page 329 (footnote):

     The notion is thoroughly characteristic of the mystical level, and the Aufgabe of making it articulate was surely set to Hegel's intellect by mystical feeling.

From Middle High German ūfgābe, ultimately a verbal noun from the ancestor of aufgeben. By surface analysis, auf (“up”) +‎ Gabe (“gift, giving”). Compare also Dutch opgave, which may have borrowed the meaning "task" from the German.

• IPA^(key): /ˈʔaʊ̯fˌɡaːbə/
• Hyphenation: Auf‧ga‧be

• Audio (Austria)

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• Audio

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Aufgabe f (genitive Aufgabe, plural Aufgaben)

1. task, duty, job, chore, responsibility, business, office

   Synonym: Auftrag m

   • 2010, Der Spiegel, issue 31/2010, page 56:

     Die Aufgabe eines Verteidigers besteht darin, für seine Mandanten mit allen Mitteln des Rechtsstaats zu kämpfen.

     The duty of a defense lawyer consists of fighting for his clients with all constitutional means.

2. mission, task, challenge
3. abandonment, surrender, relinquishment

   Synonyms: Übergabe, Kapitulation

4. problem (math, arithmetic)
5. function, aim, object, purpose
6. assignment, work, exercise (at school)
7. posting (act of transporting mail)

• → Danish: opgave (calque)
• → Dutch: opgave (semantic loan)

• “Aufgabe” in Duden online
• “Aufgabe” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache