gemeinte

Gemeinte is a German attributive adjective formed from the past participle gemeint of the verb meinen. It carries the sense of "intended" or "meant" and is used to describe what a speaker, writer, or listener intends to convey, as opposed to what is stated literally. The phrase die gemeinte Bedeutung, for example, refers to the meaning that is intended rather than merely the literal wording.

Usage and inflection: Gemeinte appears before a noun and agrees in gender, number, and case with that noun. For example, feminine singular: die gemeinte Bedeutung (the intended meaning); masculine singular: der gemeinte Sinn; neuter singular: das gemeinte Thema. Plural: die gemeinten Bedeutungen. With an indefinite article or without an article, the endings change accordingly, e.g., eine gemeinte Absicht (a supposed/intended intention). The form is most commonly encountered in written or analytical contexts where distinguishing literal content from intended meaning is important.

Relationship to meaning: In linguistics and philosophy of language, gemeint often features in discussions of pragmatic meaning, speech acts, and interpretation. Distinguishing what is literally said from what is meant can affect interpretation, clarification, and corrective communication. The term is closely related to concepts such as intended sense and communicative intent and is used to describe how context, tone, or background knowledge influence understanding.

Etymology and scope: The term derives from the German verb meinen (to think, to mean) with the ge- prefix forming a participle/adjective. While primarily a German-language term, it appears in multilingual discussions of meaning, interpretation, and pragmatics to denote the intended rather than strictly literal content. See also terms like intended meaning, pragmatic meaning, and speech act theory.