Definiujcych

Definiujcych is a term used in Polish linguistics to describe a specific class of present active participles derived from the verb definiować (to define). In standard orthography the form is definiujących; in some ASCII transcriptions or older texts it may appear as definiujcych. The term is used to refer to participial modifiers that express the act of defining and function as adjectives within noun phrases, often in legal, technical, or theoretical writing.

Morphology and usage: Definiujcych acts as a participial modifier that agrees with the noun it modifies in number and gender. It is typically used as a post-nominal (after the noun) modifier, forming phrases such as warunki definiujących umowy (the conditions that define the contracts) or autorzy definiujących pojęcie (the authors who define the concept). In scholarly prose it signals that the noun’s identity or scope is being determined by the defining action described by the participle.

Function and semantics: The definiujcych-type modifier foregrounds a definitional relation, indicating that the referent is involved in a defining or specifying activity. This makes it common in contexts where precision and boundary-setting are important, such as legal definitions, technical specifications, or theoretical explanations. The construction can contribute to compact, richly informative phrasing by embedding definitional relationships directly into noun phrases.

Variations and related terms: The line between definiujących and related forms (definiujący, definiująca, definiujące) is primarily grammatical—different inflected forms reflect gender and number. The concept is sometimes discussed alongside other participial modifiers and definitional constructions in Polish grammar and syntax.

See also: definiować, pojęcie, definicja, partykuły, struktura zdania.