befehlend

Befehlend is the present participle of the German verb befehlen, meaning to command or give orders. As an adjective or participle, it describes someone or something that issues commands or exercises authoritative control. It can function attributively, as in befehlende Stimme (a commanding voice) or befehlender Offizier (a commanding officer), and in each case is declined according to case, gender, and number (e.g., der befehlende Offizier, die befehlende Stimme, den befehlenden Offizier).

Usage and register: befehlend is more common in formal, literary, or descriptive writing than in everyday speech, where synonyms like anordnend or befiehlend may appear, or where the plain verb befehlen is used instead. The construction can also appear in predicate position with a linking verb, though this is less common: Der Offizier ist befehlend (more typically, Der Offizier befiehlt).

Semantics and scope: the term conveys authority and the act of issuing commands, or a manner characterized by issuing orders. It can be used metaphorically to describe power structures, tones, or actions that exert control. There is a close noun form, das Befehlen, which refers to the act of commanding itself, distinguished from the adjective use of befehlend.

Related terms: befehlen (to command), der Befehl (the command), anordnen (to order), befehlsmäßig (command-rited or authoritative in a manner related to commands). Befehlend should not be confused with phrases describing the act of issuing commands in the past (befahl) or with other participles of related verbs.