genannt

Genannt is the past participle of the German verb nennen, meaning to name or to call. It is used in several grammatical functions and is a common component of German naming constructions as well as descriptive phrases.

As a finite verb form, genannt appears in perfect tenses with the auxiliary haben to express that someone or something has named someone or something. For example: Ich habe ihn Peter genannt. Er hat den Ort Nürnberg genannt. In passive constructions, the participle can also appear with werden: Der Mann wird genannt. The use with a naming object typically involves a direct object that is named.

As an adjective, genannt inflects like a typical participial adjective and agrees with gender, number, and case: der genannte Autor (the named author), die genannte Lösung (the named solution), die genannten Personen (the named people). The adjective use is common in formal and written German when referring to a previously identified person or thing.

A related and widespread phrase is die so genannte oder die sogenannte Lösung, die so genannte Flüchtlingskrise, which uses so genannte or sogenannte to indicate a label that is widely used, sometimes with a nuanced or critical sense. This form is often employed in journalism, academic writing, and everyday speech to refer to a label that may be disputed or loaded.

In summary, genannt serves as the past participle of nennen for naming actions, and as an adjective to describe something that has been named or is referred to by a particular label. Its usage ranges from straightforward naming to the broader, often evaluative, "so genannte" constructions.