identifierande

Identifierande is a Swedish term used primarily in linguistics and information science to describe something that serves to identify a person or object. It is the present participle or gerund of the verb identifiera, meaning "to identify." In Swedish grammar, identifierande can function as an adjective or as a nominalized form, as in identifierande uppgifter or identifierande information, where it denotes material that identifies.

In usage, identifierande elements are those that uniquely locate or distinguish an entity within a set. In privacy and data protection contexts, phrases such as identifierande information refer to data elements that can identify a person, such as a name, a personal identity number, or a unique code. The term is often translated into English as identifying or identifying information; however, in Swedish it remains a productive part of compound nouns.

Etymology: formed from the verb identifiera plus the -nde suffix that creates a present participle/gerund form, mirroring the English -ing participle in function.

See also: identification, identifying information, personal data, data protection.