eingedrückt

Eingedrückt is a German adjective and the past participle of the verb eindrücken, meaning to press into something. It describes a surface or material that has been pressed inward, leaving an indentation or impression. The term is commonly used for physical deformations on metals, plastics, wood, paper, or similar materials, such as a dent in a sheet metal panel or a shallow depression in a plastic object.

In addition to describing dents, eingedrückt can also refer to impressions produced by a pressing process in printing, embossing, or design, where a form is pressed into the surface to create a recessed pattern or text. In this sense it is related to, but distinct from, terms like embossing (raised) or debossing (recessed).

Grammatically, eingedrückt functions as an adjective or as a compound-participle in sentences. It can be used attributively before a noun or predicatively with a auxiliary verb, for example: eine eingedrückte Delle, das Metall ist eingedrückt, oder die Oberfläche weist eine eingedrückte Struktur auf.

Etymology-wise, the word is formed from the prefix ein- plus drücken (to press). The sense develops from the action of pressing something inward to create a visible or tactile depression.

Common nuances and usage notes include distinguishing eingedrückt from similar terms such as eingedellten (creased) or eingedreh (coiled), which refer to different kinds of surface deformation. In everyday language, the term is most often encountered in describing visible indentations, while in design contexts it can describe intentional recessed impressions.