ergrübeln
to work out by brooding, to puzzle out
verb er-GRUE-beln Rare
Usage Note
ergrübeln means to reach an answer or insight by sustained, intense thinking — often with connotations of difficulty and persistence. It is less common than herausdenken but appears in literary and journalistic German.
Examples
"Die Antwort ließ sich nicht ergrübeln; sie kam spontan."
Natural Translation
The answer could not be puzzled out; it came spontaneously.
Literal Translation
The answer let itself not brood-out; it came spontaneously.
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