ausprägung

Ausprägung is a German noun meaning manifestation, expression, realization, or degree of a feature or property. The word derives from aus- (“out”) and prägen (“to shape, to imprint”) and originally referred to an imprint or shaping. In modern usage it denotes how a trait, behavior, or state is expressed in reality.

In biology and medicine, Ausprägung refers to the observable expression of a trait, often described as the phenotype. It describes how genetic information (genotype) is realized in an organism, possibly modified by environmental factors. Examples include the Ausprägung of eye color, blood type, or disease markers, where different individuals exhibit different manifestations of the same underlying genetic basis.

In psychology and the social sciences, Ausprägung denotes the extent or pattern of a trait in an individual or group. It is typically assessed on a scale or in categories, such as the Ausprägung of extraversion, aggression, or other personality characteristics, and is used to compare individuals or populations.

In statistics and data analysis, Ausprägung can mean a possible value or observed instance of a variable. For a categorical variable, Ausprägungen correspond to the categories; for a continuous variable, the term is used less formally to refer to observed values or measurements.

Because the term is broad, it is often specified with qualifiers such as Ausprägungsgrad (degree of manifestation) or Ausprägungstyp (type of manifestation) to clarify the particular meaning in a given context. See also terms like Phänotyp, Merkmale, and Merkmalsausprägung.