Vocabulary
kraft
/kʁaft/· preposition
by virtue of, by (+ genitive; legal)
Legal and official German: kraft Gesetzes (by law), kraft ihres Amtes (by virtue of her office). Written with a small k — not die Kraft (strength).
CEFR C1Frequency ●●●●●formal, legal
Your memory
New
Learning
Familiar
Strong
Mastered
Forms
- Schreibung
- klein: kraft Gesetzes — groß nur das Nomen: die Kraft
One word, many lives
Tap a meaning. Real German isn't a dictionary translation.
kraft
by virtue of, on the strength of (+ genitive)
Kraft ihres Amtes leitet die Vorsitzende die Sitzung.
By virtue of her office, the chair runs the meeting.
Word family
kraftdie Kraftstrength, force (the noun it comes from)in Kraft tretento come into forcerechtskräftiglegally binding, final
Common combinations
- kraft Gesetzesby law, by operation of law
- kraft seines Amtesby virtue of his office
- kraft ihrer Erfahrungon the strength of her experience
Similar & opposite
≈ Synonyms
aufgrundvermöge (gehoben)
Common learner mistakes
- Das gilt Kraft Gesetz.Das gilt kraft Gesetzes.kraft is a preposition: written small, and it takes the genitive — in the fixed legal phrase with -es: kraft Gesetzes.
Real examples
- Kraft ihres Amtes eröffnet die Vorsitzende die Sitzung.By virtue of her office, the chair opens the meeting.
- Ein Kind einer österreichischen Mutter erwirbt die Staatsbürgerschaft kraft Gesetzes mit der Geburt.A child of an Austrian mother acquires citizenship by operation of law at birth.
- Kraft seiner langjährigen Erfahrung wurde er in den Beirat berufen.On the strength of his many years of experience, he was appointed to the advisory board.
