Verb

versäumen

Translation

to miss, to neglect, to fail to do

Ich habe den Zug versäumt.

I missed the train.

Er hat es versäumt, anzurufen.

He failed to call.

Sie versäumt oft den Unterricht.

She often misses class.

((sth.)) to miss sth. She missed the bus.

((to do sth.)) to fail/neglect to do sth. He failed to send the letter.

Synonyms: verpassen, unterlassen; Antonyms: wahrnehmen (to perceive/seize), erledigen (to take care of)

From 'ver-' (prefix indicating failure or mistake) and 'säumen' (to delay, linger). So, to miss something by delaying.

Imagine you are 'sewing a seam' ('säumen' sounds like 'seam') so slowly that you 'ver-' (wrongly) miss your appointment.