geduldige

Geduldige is a German term that can function as both a noun and an adjective, depending on capitalization and grammatical use.

As a noun, capitalized Geduldige refers to a patient person or group of people. It is a nominalized form of the adjective geduldig and can be used in phrases such as "die Geduldigen" (the patient ones) or "der Geduldige" (the patient man). The plural form is die Geduldigen, while the singular feminine would be die Geduldige.

As an adjective, geduldig describes someone who has patience. In sentences, it appears in its normal inflected forms to agree with the noun it modifies, such as "eine geduldige Person" or "er ist geduldig." The adverbial counterpart is "geduldig" as in "geduldig warten" (to wait patiently) or the phrase "mit Geduld" (with patience).

Etymology is tied to the German noun Geduld, meaning patience. The adjective geduldig is formed with the -ig suffix from the root Geduld, indicating the possession or display of that quality. The noun Geduld serves as the abstract concept of patience, while Geduldige (capitalized) treats patience as a character trait of people.

Usage notes include that the noun form is somewhat literary or formal and appears in biographical or descriptive contexts, whereas the adjective form is common in everyday speech. The expression mit Geduld is a frequent construction in both spoken and written German.