Tatzeit

Meaning (English)

Tatzeit means the time when an act/deed was committed, most commonly used in a legal/criminal context:

• time of the offense
• time of the crime
• time of commission

It refers to the specific point or period in which a punishable act took place (important, for example, for alibis, statutes of limitation, or reconstructing events).

Word parts

• Tat = act, deed (often: criminal act/offense)
• Zeit = time

So literally: “deed-time” → the time of the deed/offense.

German synonyms (depending on context)

• Zeitpunkt der Tat (point in time of the offense)
• Tatzeitpunkt (more specific: exact time)
• Zeit der Begehung (formal/legal: time of commission)
• Begehungszeit (legal term)
• Tatgeschehen (more about the event itself; sometimes used broadly)

German antonyms (if applicable)

There is no strong fixed opposite, but in practice one might contrast it with:

• Zeit nach der Tat (time after the offense)
• Zeit vor der Tat (time before the offense)
• Tattag (day of the offense; not an antonym, but related and less precise)

Notes on usage

• Tatzeit can be a precise moment or a time window, depending on what can be established.
• It is especially common in police reports, indictments, and court documents.