Zurückgesendete

Zurückgesendete is the attributive form of the past participle of the German verb zurücksenden, meaning to send back or to return something to its origin. As an adjective, zurückgesendete describes items or communications that have been returned, such as merchandise, mail, or documents.

In usage, zurückgesendete items appear before a noun and agree in gender, number, and case with that noun. Examples: der zurückgesendete Brief, die zurückgesendete Ware, das zurückgesendete Formular. In the plural: die zurückgesendeten Briefe, die zurückgesendeten Waren, die zurückgesendeten Dokumente. With indefinite articles: einen zurückgesendeten Brief, eine zurückgesendete Rechnung, ein zurückgesendetes Formular. When used in a purely predicative verb phrase, German typically uses forms like wurde zurückgesendet rather than a participle in attributive position.

The form reflects a broader German distinction between two past participles of senden: gesandt (older spelling) and gesendet (modern standard). Consequently, both zurückgesandte (from gesandt) and zurückgesendete (from gesendet) can occur, depending on the verb form chosen. In contemporary standard usage, zurückgesendete is common, especially after the modern participle gesendet, while zurückgesandte appears in contexts favoring the older spelling or style.

Related terms include Rücksendung (the act or process of returning something), Rücksendebestätigung (return acknowledgment), and Rücksendeadresse (return address). The concept is widely used in logistics, retail, e-commerce, postal services, and administrative contexts to denote items that have been sent back to their sender.