Geschädigtem

Geschädigtem is a German inflected form of the adjective geschädigt, meaning damaged or injured. It appears in the dative singular and is used with masculine or neuter nouns when the adjective appears without a definite determiner or in contexts governed by certain declension patterns. In other common contexts with a definite article, the corresponding form is geschädigten (dem geschädigten Mann, dem geschädigten Kind).

Usage and examples:

The form geschädigtem occurs in phrases like mit geschädigtem Bein or mit geschädigtem Arm, where the noun is in the neuter or masculine gender and the dative case is required. For instance: Der Mann musste sich schonen, weil er mit geschädigtem Bein arbeiten konnte. In such constructions the adjective agrees with the gender and case of the noun but without using a definite article, yielding the ending -em.

Notes on related forms:

If the noun is accompanied by a definite article, the ending changes to -ten, as in dem geschädigten Mann or dem geschädigten Kind. When the word is used as a noun itself, the form can be nominalized and capitalized: der Geschädigte (the injured person), den Geschädigten, etc. This shifts geschädigtem from an attributive adjective form to a noun phrase referring to a person who has suffered damage.

Etymology and meaning:

The term derives from the verb schädigen (to damage) and the past participle geschädigt, used adjectivally. It conveys that damage or injury has occurred to the described object or person, with the dative form reflecting grammatical role rather than a change in semantic content.