Eingeworfenen

Eingeworfenen is a form of the German verb einwerfen, meaning to insert, deposit, or throw in. It is the past participle eingeworfen inflected for attributive use before a noun, typically in plural.

Etymology and grammar: The word derives from einwerfen with the conventional -en ending of the past participle in its attributive, determiner-inflected form. When used before a plural noun with a definite article or other determiner, the participle takes the ending -en: die eingeworfenen Münzen, den eingeworfenen Münzen, der eingeworfenen Münzen. Without a determiner, the strong inflection would produce eingeworfene Münzen. The uninflected form eingeworfen serves as the base participle in non-attributive positions or as part of compound tenses.

Usage and examples: Eingeworfenen describes items that have been deposited or submitted by the act of insertion. Common contexts include coins deposited in a vending machine: die eingeworfenen Münzen; ballots placed in a ballot box: die eingeworfenen Stimmzettel; and proposals or documents submitted for consideration: eingeworfene Vorschläge. The form also appears in more figurative language to indicate something that has been brought into a process or discussion.

Relation to related terms: The root verb is einwerfen. In referring to the act itself in a general sense, the noun Einwurf is used, especially in sports for a throw-in. The participle eingeworfen and its inflected forms, including eingeworfenen, are mainly used in adjectival positions to characterize specific items that have already been inserted or submitted.