nieder|hauen
Translation
to knock down, to strike down, to cut down, to jot down
Examples
Der Boxer haute seinen Gegner nieder.
The boxer knocked his opponent down.
Er hat den ganzen Baum niedergehauen.
He cut down the whole tree.
Ich muss schnell ein paar Notizen niederhauen.
I have to quickly jot down a few notes.
Grammar Patterns
((sb./sth.)) to knock sb./sth. down The boxer knocked his opponent down.
((sth.)) to jot sth. down I have to quickly jot down a few notes.
Similar Words
Synonyms: to knock down, to fell, to demolish; Antonyms: to raise, to construct
Etymology
A compound of 'nieder' (down) and 'hauen' (to hit, chop). The literal meaning is 'to hit or chop down'.
Memory Tips
Think of a powerful action: you 'hew' (hauen) something so hard it goes 'down' (nieder).