Gewonden

Gewonden is a Dutch term that primarily functions as the plural noun for people who have sustained injuries, i.e., the injured. It is commonly used in news reports, official statements, and emergency communications to refer to individuals affected by accidents, disasters, or violent incidents. The singular form is gewonde (the wounded person), and the plural can also appear as a plural adjective before a plural noun, as in “gewonde personen” or simply “de gewonden” when the context already indicates injured individuals.

Etymology and grammar: Gewonden derives from the noun wound (wond) with the prefix ge-, forming a word that denotes those who have been wounded. In Dutch, gewonden can function as a noun referring to injured people, or as the plural form of the adjective gewond used with a noun (for example, “gewonden slachtoffers”). The term carries no implied severity and is typically accompanied by additional descriptors such as licht (light), ernstig (serious), or dodelijk (fatal) when more detail is provided.

Usage and context: The word appears in incident reports, police and hospital communications, and media coverage to quantify injured individuals without speculating on outcomes. It is part of routine vocabulary for describing human impact in emergencies and is used for neutral, factual reporting.

See also: Wond (wound), Verwonding (injury), Gewonde (the wounded person). The concept focuses on people affected by injury rather than the event itself.