adoptierter

Adoptierter is a German term derived from the verb adoptieren (to adopt). It can function as an adjective describing someone who has been adopted, or as a nominalized participle used as a noun to refer to an adopted person.

As an adjective, adoptierter describes a person who has undergone adoption. It agrees with gender and case, for example: ein adoptierter Sohn (nominative masculine singular), eine adoptierte Tochter (nominative feminine singular), ein adoptiertes Kind (nominative neuter). In other cases the endings change accordingly, such as einem adoptierten Sohn (dative) or des adoptierten Sohnes (genitive). When used attributively before a noun, the form follows standard German adjective declension.

As a noun, Adoptierter (masculine) or Adoptierte (feminine) can refer to an adopted person, though this nominalized participle is less common in everyday language. The more typical terms in German are das Adoptivkind for an adopted child and die Adoptiveltern for the adoptive parents. The noun form is primarily found in legal, bureaucratic, or formal contexts, and the gender-specific forms are used accordingly.

Related terms include Adoptiv-, the prefix used in compounds such as Adoptivfamilie or Adoptiveltern, and the noun Adoption, which refers to the legal act itself. In modern usage, emphasis often remains on the relationship through terms like Adoptivkind or Adoptivkindschaft, while adoptierter/Adoptierte appear mainly in descriptive or personal contexts.

See also: Adoption, Adoptivkind, Adoptiveltern.