besagt

Besagt is a German term that functions mainly as the past participle of the verb besagen, meaning to indicate or signify. In modern usage it appears most often in two forms: as an attributive adjective besagte, meaning “aforementioned” or “above-mentioned” (for example, der besagte Paragraph, das besagte Gesetz), and as a nominalized form Das Besagte, used to refer to something that has been stated previously.

The word is typical of formal and legal writing. In everyday speech, speakers usually avoid besagen and instead use phrases such as oben erwähnt or das oben Gesagte. The expression wie der Vertrag besagt is used to point back to a statement already made, though formulations like wie oben besagt are also common.

In terms of grammar, besagte is the form used with masculine and neuter nouns in the appropriate case after a definite article (der besagte Paragraph, das besagte Gesetz). The feminine corresponds to die besagte Frau, and the plural to die besagten Paragraphen or Gesetze. The simple past form is besagte, and the corresponding past participle remains besagt. The nominalized form Das Besagte appears in more literary or juridical contexts to refer to the aforementioned matter as a concept or item.

Overall, besagt signals a reference to something previously stated, functioning as a marker of coherence in formal prose. It is less common in casual language, where alternatives such as oben erwähnt or das oben Gesagte are preferred.