Gewundene

Gewundene is a German adjective meaning twisted, winding, or convoluted. It is derived from the verb winden (to wind, twist) and is commonly used in attributive position to describe shapes, paths, or lines. In practice, the form gewundene appears in singular with definite determiners across genders (der gewundene Pfad, die gewundene Straße, das gewundene Tal) and as gewundenen in plural expressions (die gewundenen Wege).

Usage and nuances

The term is typically applied to physical forms such as roads, rivers, coastlines, or geological features that follow a serpentine course. It also extends to figurative language, where a plot, argument, or narrative can be described as gewunden or gewundene, indicating complexity or unexpected turns. The English equivalents are twisted, winding, or serpentine, depending on context.

Morphology and examples

- Der gewundene Pfad führte durch den Wald. (masc singular)

- Die gewundene Straße war von vielen Kurven geprägt. (fem singular)

- Das gewundene Tal schien endlos. (neut singular)

- Die gewundenen Wege des Waldes verlangten Aufmerksamkeit. (plural)

The form for plural is typically gewundene in some contexts, but most commonly appears as gewundenen after a definite article in plural usage.

Relations and related terms

Gewundene relates to gewunden, the past participle form used in some constructions, and to other wind-related descriptors such as gewunden oder gewundenen. It is primarily used as a descriptive adjective in standard German.

See also

There is no widely established proper noun or specialized concept widely recognized simply as “Gewundene.” It remains a standard descriptive term in German lexicon for describing winding or twisted forms.