angemeßene

Angemeßene is a historical spelling variant of the German adjective angemessen, meaning appropriate or fitting. It appears mainly in older texts, bibliographies, or transcriptions of early modern writings, and is not standard in contemporary German.

Meaning and formation: The term conveys the same sense as the modern form angemeßene, namely something that is suitable or proper for a given situation. The adjective is formed from the prefix an- and the past participle gemessen (from messen), indicating suitability judged against circumstances. When used as a noun, das Angemessene can denote the concept of propriety or the appropriate thing, though this nominal use is uncommon in everyday language.

Orthography and history: The variant with the Eszett (ß) reflects historical spelling practices. In older German orthography, ß appeared after long vowels or complex vowel sounds, while ss was used after short vowels. Since orthographic reforms, the standard modern spelling is typically angemessen, with inflected forms like angemessene or Angemessene, depending on grammar. The form angemeßene is largely found only in quotations or studies of historical texts.

Modern usage: In current German, the ß-variant is considered archaic. Most writers use angemessen (or its inflected forms) in everyday language. The noun form Das Angemessene may occur in literary or philosophical contexts to refer to the concept of appropriateness, but it remains rare.

See also: Angemessenheit, Angemessen, Orthography and German spelling history.