Bezeichnenden

Bezeichnenden is a German adjective form derived from the verb bezeichnen, meaning to designate, denote, or describe. It comes from the present participle bezeichnend and is used attributively to express “characterizing” or “descriptive.” In everyday writing it appears before a noun to indicate that the noun has characteristic or distinguishing features.

In terms of grammar, bezeichnenden is one of the inflected forms of the participle bezeichnen. It is used with plural nouns in several cases (for example, nominative plural: die bezeichnenden Merkmale; accusative plural: die bezeichnenden Merkmale; dative plural: den bezeichnenden Merkmalen). The form also occurs in genitive phrases, as in der bezeichnenden Merkmale, though such genitive constructions are typically less common in modern prose. The singular forms differ (bezeichnendes for neuter, bezeichnende for feminine, bezeichnender for masculine), while the plural bezeichnenden is common especially after definite determiners.

Typical usage favors bezeichnenden in technical, academic, or descriptive writing, where one enumerates properties, features, or signs. Examples include: die bezeichnenden Merkmale der Theorie (the characteristic features of the theory) and mit bezeichnenden Merkmalen (with distinguishing features). In many contexts, bezeichnend can be used as a synonym or alternative, with slightly different emphasis: bezeichnend emphasizes marking or designating, while charakteristisch stresses inherent character.

See also: Bezeichnung (designation), kennzeichnend (characteristic), charakteristisch (characteristic).