adaptierenden

Adaptierenden is the present participle (Partizip I) of the verb adaptieren, meaning "adapting" or "to adapt." In German it can function as an adjective describing something undergoing adaptation, or be nominalized to refer to groups or individuals that perform or undergo adaptation. The form adaptierenden appears in declined attributive position, for example der adaptierenden Prozess, die adaptierenden Prozesse, dem adaptierenden System. Predicatively, one can also use adaptierend, as in Das System ist adaptierend.

Grammatical notes and forms: As a non-nominal adjective, adaptierenden (and its related forms) is declined like a normal adjective in combination with a definite article or other markers. When the word is nominalized to refer to a person, group, or organization, it is capitalized as Adaptierenden or Adaptierende, for example die Adaptierenden. The base form in the dictionary is adaptierend (present participle), with inflected forms such as adaptierende Prozesse (nominative plural) or dem adaptierenden Prozess (dative singular).

Usage and domains: The term is common in technical and academic German, especially in biology, information technology, sociology, and linguistics, to describe systems, processes, or agents that are undergoing adaptation. Examples include adaptierende Systeme, adaptierendes Verhalten, or adaptierende Organismen. In practice, the concept often overlaps with English “adaptive,” though German relies on the specific participial construction rather than a direct calque.

See also: Partizip I, adaptieren, adaptive systems, nominalization in German grammar.