determinado

Determinado is a word used in Spanish and Portuguese with several related senses. Primarily it functions as an adjective meaning definite, fixed, explicit, or specific, and it can also be the past participle of the verb determinar, forming compound tenses or serving as a descriptive participle. The form agrees with gender and number in each language: in Spanish, determinado, determinada, determinados, determinadas; in Portuguese, determinado, determinada, determinados, determinadas.

As an adjective, determinato conveys precision or certainty about a noun, such as in phrases like un lugar determinado (a definite place) or una persona determinada (a specific person). In formal or legal registers, it can emphasize that something is specified or stated. As a past participle, it appears in perfect tenses or with auxiliary verbs to indicate that something has been determined or fixed, e.g., ha determinado (has determined), havia determinado (had determined).

Etymology traces the term to Latin determinatus, from determinare, meaning to limit, bound, or set apart. The word is closely related to determinar in each language, and its derivatives are used across various domains, including everyday speech, literature, and legal or administrative contexts.

In mathematics and linguistics, care is needed to avoid confusion with determinante or determinante, which in Spanish and Portuguese refer to the determinant (a mathematical concept) or, in grammar, to a determiner. Determinado is not used as the mathematical term for determinant, which is determinante. Synonyms in everyday use include definido, concreto, específico, and, in some contexts, cierto.

Overall, determinado is a versatile descriptor of specificity and definiteness, adaptable to gendered and plural forms, and functioning as both a participle and an ordinary adjective in Spanish and Portuguese.