drehende

Drehende is the present participle of the German verb drehen (to turn, to rotate). In everyday and technical usage it functions mainly as an adjective describing something in a turning motion or capable of turning. As an attributive adjective it takes endings to match gender, number, and case, for example: der drehende Arm, das drehende Rad, die drehende Feder; die drehenden Räder. In predicative position it is less common; more natural is to use the verb drehen or the reflexive form sich drehen (Das Rad dreht sich).

Etymology and morphology: the form comes from drehen with the adjectival suffix -ende, aligning with German present participles. The related form drehend is used as a general-purpose participial adjective; drehende emphasizes ongoing turning in contexts where an attributive description is needed.

Usage and nuance: drehende is prevalent in describing mechanical and technical components, such as drehende Teile (rotating parts), drehende Welle (rotating shaft), or drehende Turbine (rotating turbine). It can also appear in more descriptive language to convey motion, for example a drehende Platte (a plate that is turning). In technical writing the term often coexists with synonyms like rotierend, which tends to appear in more formal or physics-oriented contexts.

Related terms: drehen, Drehung (rotation), rotierend (rotating), and drehend (a closely related present participle/adjective with a similar meaning but often used in slightly different stylistic contexts). While drehende emphasizes ongoing rotation when modifying a noun, other forms may be chosen to suit tone and register.