déterminée

Determinée is the feminine singular form of the French adjective déterminé, and can also function as the feminine singular past participle of determiner when used in a compound tense or as an adjective. It agrees with feminine nouns; the corresponding forms are déterminé (masc. sing.), déterminés (masc. pl.), and déterminées (fem. pl.).

Usage and meanings

As an adjective, déterminée describes a person who is resolute or a thing that is fixed or well defined. Examples include "Elle est déterminée à réussir" (She is determined to succeed) and "La date est déterminée" (The date is fixed/determined). The feminine form often modifies feminine nouns such as "une valeur déterminée" (a definite value) or "une décision déterminée" (a definite decision).

In technical or formal language, déterminée can appear in phrases indicating a well-defined or specified object, for example "un ensemble déterminé" (a fixed set) or "une solution déterminée" (a determined/defined solution). When used as a past participle, the feminine form agrees with a feminine subject, as in "La solution a été déterminée" (the solution has been determined).

Etymology

Determinée derives from determiner, with roots in Latin determinatus, meaning bound or decided. The word exists in feminine, masculine, singular, and plural forms to align with the gender and number of the noun it describes.

See also

determinée is related to determiner (the base verb), détermination (the act of determining), and déterminant (a grammatical determiner in some contexts).