verb

verputzen

plaster

Definition & meaning

The German verb verputzen has two primary meanings depending on the context:

Construction and Masonry: It refers to the process of applying plaster, mortar, or stucco to a wall or ceiling. This is done to create a smooth surface, protect the masonry, or prepare it for painting or wallpapering.
Colloquial (Food/Consumption): In an informal context, it means to eat something up completely and usually quite quickly. It is similar to the English expressions "to polish off" or "to gobble up" a meal.

In rare instances, it can also be used to describe spending or "burning through" a certain amount of money quickly.

Grammar & Word origin

verputzen is a regular (weak) verb. Its principal parts are:

Präsens: ich verputze, er/sie/es verputzt
Präteritum: ich verputzte
Perfekt: hat verputzt

The word is composed of the prefix ver- and the base verb putzen . While putzen usually means "to clean," in a historical masonry context, it referred to the "cleaning" or finishing of a rough wall by applying a layer of lime or mortar. The prefix ver- here functions as a transitivizing element that indicates the completion of an action or the covering of a surface.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms (Construction):

gipsen : specifically using plaster (gypsum).
mörteln : to apply mortar.
bewurfeln : to roughcast a wall.

Synonyms (Eating/Colloquial):

aufessen : to eat up.
verschlingen : to devour.
verdrücken : to wolf down.
verspachteln : another colloquial term for eating (also derived from a construction tool, the putty knife).