adjective

gekauft

buy · purchase

Etwas, das man mit Geld erhalten hat, nachdem man dafür bezahlt hat.

Definition & meaning

The word gekauft is the past participle of the German verb kaufen (to buy). Its primary meaning is "bought" or "purchased." It is used in two main ways:

As a verb form: It serves as the participle for the perfect tenses (Present Perfect and Past Perfect). For example, "Ich habe Brot gekauft" translates to "I have bought bread."
As an adjective: It can describe an object that has been acquired through payment.
Figurative meaning: In certain contexts, it can mean that someone has been bribed or influenced by money to support a certain opinion or decision (e.g., "Er ist gekauft" implies he is corrupt or bought off).

Grammar & Word origin

Grammar: It is the Partizip II (past participle) of the weak verb kaufen. It is formed by adding the prefix ge- and the suffix -t to the stem kauf-.
Word origin: It derives from the Middle High German koufen, which traces back to the Old High German koufōn. This word is rooted in the Latin caupo (innkeeper, tradesman), reflecting its long history as a term related to trade and commerce.