gewissermaßen
Translation
so to speak, in a way, to a certain extent, as it were
Examples
Er ist gewissermaßen der Chef hier.
He is, so to speak, the boss here.
Das war gewissermaßen ein Fehler.
That was, in a way, a mistake.
Sie hat gewissermaßen recht.
She is right, to a certain extent.
Grammar Patterns
gewissermaßen + [Sentence] so to speak, ... He is, gewissermaßen, the expert.
Similar Words
sozusagen (so to speak), quasi (quasi), in gewissem Sinne (in a certain sense)
Etymology
From the genitive of 'gewiss' (certain) and the dative plural of 'Maß' (measure). Literally 'in certain measures'.
Memory Tips
Think of it as qualifying a statement: it's true 'to a certain measure' or 'to a certain degree'.