abstammend

Abstammend is the present participle of the German verb abstammen, meaning to descend from or to originate from. As a participle it describes something that derives from a particular ancestor or source, and it may appear in participial clauses. In everyday German, the attributive form abstammende is more common when modifying a noun (for example, eine abstammende Linie).

Etymology and forms: The word is built from ab- (away, from) and stammen (to originate). The related noun is Abstammung (descent, ancestry). While abstammend can occur in clauses such as Die Gruppe, abstammend von einer früheren Population, wird untersucht, the usual way to express descent is with stammen + ab (Die Gruppe stammt von einer früheren Population ab) or with the attributive abstammende before a noun (eine abstammende Linie).

Usage: Abstammend is chiefly used in fields dealing with origin, such as genealogy, history, anthropology, and evolutionary biology. It signals that a person, lineage, population, or artifact derives from a specified source. In many contexts, speakers prefer clearer constructions with stammen or with the attributive form abstammende.

Examples (translations): Die Familie ist abstammend von Königen. The family is descended from kings. Eine abstammende Linie gehört zur Dynastie. A lineage descending from the dynasty. More common: Die Familie stammt von Königen ab. The family descends from kings.