Merkmalen

Merkmalen is the plural form of the German noun Merkmal and is most commonly encountered in the dative plural form, for example in phrases like mit Merkmalen or den Merkmalen. The headword normally used in German is Merkmal, while the nominative and accusative plural is Merkale? Correction: the nominative and accusative plural is Merkmale. The term refers to a distinguishing property, sign, or attribute that helps to identify, describe, or classify a subject.

Etymology and sense

Merkmal derives from merk- “to mark, notice” combined with the suffix -mal, historically forming a word meaning a mark or sign by which something is recognized. In general usage, a Merkmal is a characteristic that makes an object, person, or phenomenon recognizable or describable. In plural form, Merkmale is the common headword, while Merkmalen appears mainly in cases requiring the dative plural or in fixed expressions.

Domains and usage

In linguistics and grammar, Merkmale or grammatische Merkmale are features used to describe language constructs, such as gender, number, or tense. In biology and taxonomy, Merkmale denote observable traits used to distinguish species. In data science and machine learning, Merkmale (features) are measurable properties used to characterize data points and to train models. In everyday language, Merkmal often refers to any notable attribute, such as “ein Merkmal der Person ist ihre ruhige Stimme.”

Relationen and synonyms

Merkmal is closely related to Eigenschaften and Attribute, but with subtle nuance: Merkmal emphasizes a distinguishing sign used for identification, while Eigenschaft denotes an inherent property. See also Merkmale, Merkmal, Eigenschaft, Attribut.