gespreizt

Gespreizt is a German adjective and past participle formed from the verb spreizen, meaning to spread or widen. It describes something that has been spread apart or is held wide apart, typically referring to limbs, parts of an object, or a configuration.

Etymology and form. The word combines the prefix ge- with the stem spreiz- and the participle ending -t. As a past participle, gespreizt can function as an adjective and is declined to agree with gender, number, and case. Examples: ein gespreizter Arm (a spread arm), gespreizte Finger (splayed fingers), gespreizte Zähne (gapped teeth). Predicative use is common: Die Arme sind gespreizt (The arms are spread apart).

Usage. In anatomy and biology, gespreizt describes limbs or body parts that are spread away from the body, as in gespreizte Arme oder Beine. In botany or zoology it can describe spread-out features such as wings or branches. In engineering or crafts, it may refer to components that are opened or widened, such as gespreizte Zähne or gespreizte Klappen. The term also appears in sports, dance, and performance contexts to denote a wide or stable standing or posing position, for example, someone standing gespreizt with legs apart.

See also. The related noun form Spreizung refers to the act or result of spreading. The verb spreizen is the base verb describing the action of widening or spreading. Gespreizt thus occupies a descriptive role, either attributively or predicatively, in descriptions of physical posture or structural configuration.