Bestellter

Bestellter is a German term that can function in two related ways: as an adjective form related to ordering, and as a noun in more formal contexts referring to a person who has been appointed or commissioned. In everyday language, the lowercase form bestellter appears as an attributive adjective meaning “ordered” or “placed by a customer,” as in phrases like bestellte Ware (ordered goods) or bestellter Auftrag (ordered assignment). This sense describes items or tasks that have been requested and are awaiting fulfillment.

A less common, more formal usage uses Bestellter as a nominalized form, referring to a person who has been commissioned or appointed to perform duties. In such legal or bureaucratic contexts, Bestellter denotes the individual designated by an authority to assume a role, similar to terms like Beauftragter or Ernannter. This nominal sense is rare in contemporary everyday German and more likely to appear in older statutes, formal records, or specialized legal language.

Etymology and relation to related terms: Both senses derive from bestellen, which can mean to order as well as to appoint. The related nouns Bestellung (order) and Bestellungsverfahren (appointment procedure) reflect the dual pathways from the same root. The capitalization rules differ: as a normal adjective, bestellter is lowercase (e.g., bestellter Auftrag); when used as a noun to denote the appointee, it is capitalized as Bestellter.

Usage notes: In modern standard German, it is more common to use Beauftragter or Ernannter for the second sense, and to use bestellte Ware or other gendered forms for the first. Related terms include Bestellung (order), Bestellprozess (ordering process), and Bestellungsverfahren (appointment procedure).