verunglücken
Translation
to have an accident, to crash, to perish
Examples
Er ist mit dem Auto verunglückt.
He had an accident with the car.
Der Bergsteiger ist tödlich verunglückt.
The mountaineer had a fatal accident.
Grammar Patterns
((with sth.)) to have an accident with sth. He had an accident with the car.
Similar Words
einen Unfall haben (to have an accident), abstürzen (to crash, e.g. a plane)
Etymology
From the prefix 'ver-' (indicating something going wrong) and 'Unglück' (misfortune, accident). Literally 'to fall into misfortune'.
Memory Tips
Think of 'Unglück' as 'un-luck'. The verb 'verunglücken' means to experience this 'un-luck', i.e., to have an accident.