entwickelte

Entwickelte is the Präteritum (simple past) form of entwickeln. It is used with ich, er, sie, or es. In everyday speech, the Perfekt form hat entwickelt is more common.

The verb entwickeln means to develop, to evolve, to design, or to produce. In photography it refers to processing film and photographs. In a general sense it can mean bringing something into its mature or productive state, such as developing a technology, a plan, or a talent.

Etymology and sense: entwickeln comes from the prefix ent- combined with wickeln (to wind or wrap). Historically the word carried notions of unfolding or unwrapping, and over time it gained broader senses of growth, production, and technical processing, including the development of film and other media.

Usage notes and examples: Er entwickelte eine neue Software. Sie entwickelte eine Strategie. Das Negativ wurde entwickelt. Das entwickelte Land hat eine hohe Wirtschaftskraft. The first two sentences illustrate the simple past; the third shows a common photography use, and the last demonstrates the attributive adjective form of entwickelte, meaning developed, as in das entwickelte Land.

In modern German, prereite forms like entwickelte are primarily found in formal writing or storytelling, while the spoken language tends to prefer the Perfekt with hat entwickelt for past actions.