fortlaufendem

Fortlaufendem is a grammatical form of the German adjective fortlaufend, meaning ongoing, continuous, or sequential. It appears in phrases describing processes, texts, or numbering that proceed without interruption. The term is used across technical, administrative, and literary contexts to emphasize uninterrupted progression.

Etymology and sense: Fortlaufend is formed from fort- (forward, continued) and laufend (running). The sense conveyed is that something continues over time or in sequence rather than occurring in isolated or interrupted segments. In German, fortlaufend has both attributive and predicative uses and, like other adjectives, changes its ending according to case, gender, and article.

Usage and examples: As an attributive adjective, fortlaufend describes a noun, e.g., fortlaufender Text (continuous text) or fortlaufende Nummerierung (sequential numbering). The form fortlaufendem occurs in the dative singular, for example with no article: mit fortlaufendem Text or Der Bericht basiert auf fortlaufendem Text. With a definite article, the form becomes dem fortlaufenden Text (dative masculine or neuter). The term is common in document design, software documentation, and data processing to indicate uninterrupted flow or order.

Related terms and nuance: Fortlaufend is often contrasted with unterbrochen or diskontinuierlich to indicate lack of breaks. In technical writing, fortlaufende Prozesse or fortlaufende Protokolle refer to procedures or records that are maintained without gaps. While closely related to synonyms like kontinuierlich or sequenziell, fortlaufend emphasizes the sense of a continuous sequence rather than simply frequency or repetition.

See also: continuous, uninterrupted, sequential, continuous text, sequential numbering.