Imiesowem

Imiesowem, usually written with the diacritic as imiesłowem in Polish, is the instrumental singular form of the noun imiesłów. Imiesłów designates a participle, a non-finite verb form that can function like an adjective or, in some contexts, as an adverb. The term imiesłowem is used in linguistic and educational contexts to refer to the participle as a category rather than to a particular word.

Morphology: It is formed from the root imiesłow- plus the instrumental suffix -em. This form is part of the system Polish uses to name case-marked nouns that describe grammatical categories. In grammar texts, imiesłowem appears when naming or defining the participle category.

Usage: The form is primarily encountered in grammars and dictionaries, where it appears in definitional statements such as "Imiesłowem nazywamy formę czasownikową, która może pełnić funkcję przymiotnika." In ordinary speech the word is rarely used outside such contexts.

Relation: Imiesłowem is related to imiesłów's other subdivisions, such as imiesłów przymiotnikowy (participial adjective) and imiesłów przysłówkowy (adverbial participle). It should not be confused with specific participle forms themselves, which are spelled differently and inflect for gender, number, and case in Polish.

See also: Polish grammar; Participles; Noun formation; Grammatical cases.