ab|wägen
Translation
to weigh, to consider, to balance
Examples
Man muss die Vor- und Nachteile abwägen.
One must weigh the pros and cons.
Sie wägt ihre Worte sehr sorgfältig ab.
She weighs her words very carefully.
Grammar Patterns
((sth.)) to weigh sth. One must carefully weigh the risks.
between ((sth.)) to weigh between A and B I'm still weighing the two offers.
Similar Words
Synonyms: to consider, to reflect upon, to examine; Antonyms: to ignore, to neglect
Etymology
Comes from 'ab-' (implying a complete action) and 'wägen' (to weigh). The idea is to weigh something out completely, hence 'to consider' or 'to weigh up'.
Memory Tips
Think of a scale ('Waage'). 'Abwägen' is the mental process of putting pros and cons on it to see which side is heavier.