zerfleddern

== German == === Alternative forms === zerfledern (dated) === Etymology === Late 18th century, of dialectal, especially East Central German, origin, from zer- +‎ fled(d)ern, the latter from Middle High German vlëderen (“to flutter”), related with flattern, Fledermaus. The form with -dd- may be expressive or due to shortening before -er- (as in Hammer, Mutter, Widder etc.). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /tserˈflɛdərn/, [t͡sɐˈflɛ.dɐn], [t͡sɛɐ̯-] === Verb === zerfleddern (weak, third-person singular present zerfleddert, past tense zerfledderte, past participle zerfleddert, auxiliary haben) to damage something delicate, chiefly a book or piece of paper, by handling it uncarefully; to tatter Synonyms: zerfetzen, zerrupfen ==== Usage notes ==== Some dictionaries still treat zerfledern as the main variant. However, the dd-form has been predominant since circa 1950 and by the early 21st century it was about 30 times commoner. ==== Conjugation ==== ==== Derived terms ==== === References ===