Festgelegtes

Festgelegtes is the neuter singular form of the adjective festgelegt, used attributively to describe something that has been fixed, specified, or determined. It stems from the verb festlegen, meaning to set or fix. In German, festgelegtes occurs with neuter nouns in nominative or accusative cases, commonly after the definite article das (das festgelegte Datum) or the indefinite article ein (ein festgelegtes Datum). When no article is present, the strong ending -es also yields festgelegtes (festgelegtes Datum). The form reflects standard adjective declension patterns in German.

Usage and meaning

The term signals that a detail has been predetermined by rule, contract, agreement, or procedure. It is widely used in daily language as well as in legal, administrative, and technical contexts. Examples include das festgelegte Datum, das festgelegte Verfahren, or festgelegte Parameter. Depending on context, festgelegtes conveys that outcomes or steps are fixed in advance rather than flexible or negotiable.

Nominalized use

Adjectives can be nominalized in German, in which case festgelegt becomes Festgelegte as a noun phrase, meaning roughly “the fixed one/thing” or “the predetermined element.” This usage is less common but appears in formal or legal prose where a previously defined item is referenced as a unit.

Related forms

Related words include festlegen (to set/determine), Festlegung (the act of specifying or fixing, the specification), and festgesetzt (less common or regionally used in other constructions). The term is closely connected to concepts of specification, determinacy, and predefined conditions in German.