abgeschwächte

Abgeschwächte is the feminine singular nominative/accusative form of the German adjective abgeschwächt, meaning weakened or attenuated. It describes something that has been reduced in strength, intensity, or effect compared with a reference state. As an attributive adjective it is used before a noun and changes its ending according to German declension rules; in everyday language you will encounter phrases such as abgeschwächte Strahlung or abgeschwächte Kräfte.

In science and technology, abgeschwächte terms refer to reduced quantities or intensities. Examples include abgeschwächte Strahlung (attenuated radiation), abgeschwächte Signale or abgeschwächte Schwingungen (weakened signals or vibrations), and more generally anything that has been diminished through filtering, shielding, or distance. In medicine, the concept appears in discussions of vaccines and therapies where a weakened or attenuated form can be described, though the usual technical term for vaccines is attenuierte Impfstoffe.

In law, politics, and everyday use the word appears when powers, rights, or provisions are described as reduced or limited. For example, abgeschwächte Befugnisse or abgeschwächte Rechte indicate that those authorities or protections are not as strong as in a prior or standard form.

Etymology and usage: abgeschwächt comes from the prefix ab- (“away, down”) combined with schwächen (“to weaken”). The form abgeschwächte is simply one inflected variant used before appropriate nouns. The term is common across German-speaking contexts and is typically contrasted with stärker oder unverändert, depending on whether a reduction is being emphasized.

See also: Abschwächung, Abschwächungskoeffizient, attenuierung.