beschrieben

Beschrieben is the past participle form of the German verb beschreiben, meaning to describe or to portray. It is used to form perfect tenses with the auxiliary haben, as in Ich habe den Ort beschrieben, and in passive constructions with werden, as in Der Ort wird beschrieben. When used as an attributive adjective, it can describe a noun, for example der beschriebene Bericht, das beschriebene Ereignis, or eine beschriebene Szene, and it agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case.

Etymology and form are straightforward: beschreiben derives from be- plus schreiben. Because be- is an inseparable prefix, the past participle does not take the ge- prefix that some separable-prefix verbs show. The result is beschrieben, used both as the verb form in perfect tenses and as the adjective form beschriebene, beschriebenes, or beschriebener, depending on the noun it modifies.

Usage and nuance: beschreiben emphasizes providing a description or portrayal of a subject, often in detail. In scientific, journalistic, and literary contexts, it helps express how something is depicted in text. Synonyms include schildern, darstellen, erläutern, and erklären, though each carries its own shade of meaning. As with many participles used as adjectives, the form must be declined to match the noun it describes.

Examples: Der Bericht beschreibt die Ereignisse systematisch. Der Bericht ist ausführlich beschrieben worden. Die beschriebene Methode basiert auf Beobachtungen.