gedempte

Gedempte is a Dutch adjective and past participle derived from the verb dempen, meaning to dampen, mute, or suppress. It is commonly used to describe something whose intensity has been reduced, such as a sound, light, or mood.

In practice, gedempte describes muffled or subdued qualities. For example, a muffled voice can be described as een gedempte stem, and dimmed lighting as gedempte verlichting. The term is also used more broadly for emotions or atmospheres that feel restrained or less forceful.

Grammar and usage notes: as an adjective used before a noun, gedempte often appears with -e endings in many contexts, for instance een gedempte stem or de gedempte kamer. When used predicatively or with neuter nouns, the form can appear as gedempt, as in het geluid is gedempt (the sound is muffled). The two forms reflect common Dutch adjective inflection rules.

Etymology and related terms: gedempte comes from the verb dempen, with the standard past participle gedempt. Related terms include damping (demping) and the noun dampening, which describe the process of reducing intensity or oscillations in physical, acoustic, or figurative senses.

See also: dempen, damping, muffling, muted.