Vastgelegt

Vastgelegt is the past participle form of the German verb vastlegen, used to indicate that something has been laid down, established, or determined in a formal sense. The term is found primarily in legal, administrative, or technical language. In everyday German, the more common past participle is festgelegt; vastgelegt is relatively rare and can be seen as archaic, regional, or stylistically marked.

In meaning, vastgelegt describes actions or outcomes that are fixed by rules, decisions, or official documents. It conveys a sense of formal certainty, contrast with provisional or negotiable terms. Some dictionaries and linguistic references note vastlegen as a variant or synonym of festlegen, though its usage tends to be limited to specific registers or older texts.

Usage tends to appear in legal texts, policy papers, contracts, and regulatory documents where a condition, value, or responsibility has been explicitly determined. Because festgelegt is far more common in contemporary prose, vastgelegt is often perceived as stylistically marked and may be chosen for formality, precision, or to reflect traditional wording found in certain documents or regional varieties.

Examples of context include setting thresholds, deadlines, or jurisdictional responsibilities that are described as vastgelegt in a formal document. In practice, writers may substitute festgelegt in everyday language, but vastgelegt remains a recognized form in more formal or historical materials.

See also: festlegen, Rechtsordnung, Vertragsrecht, Verordnung.