kleinmaßstäblichen

Kleinmaßstäblich is an adjective in German formed from Klein (small) and Maßstab (scale) with the suffix -lich. The compound describes something that relates to or is defined by a small scale, often in technical contexts such as cartography, modeling, data presentation, or planning. The inflected plural form kleinmaßstäblichen is used with plural nouns, for example in "Die kleinmaßstäblichen Unterschiede sind vernachlässigbar" or "in den kleinmaßstäblichen Größenordnungen." The base noun-related concept is Kleinmaßstab, meaning small scale, as opposed to Großmaßstab (large scale).

Etymology and grammar: Kleinmaßstab refers to a scale or ratio used to represent an object or area; -lich attaches to form an adjective meaning “scale-related” or “on a given scale.” In German, adjectives following a definite article or a clearly declined noun take endings according to case, gender, and number. Thus, kleinmaßstäblichen appears in plural contexts (nominative, accusative, dative, or genitive plural, often with die, den, der, or den as appropriate), while the corresponding feminine singular form would be kleinmaßstäbliche.

Usage: The term is primarily found in formal or technical German and is less common in everyday language. Speakers often prefer phrasing like auf kleinem Maßstab or in kleinmaßstäblichen Darstellungen, depending on context. It serves to emphasize the scale-related characteristics of a representation, model, dataset, or analysis rather than implying literal microscopic size.

See also: Maßstab, Kleinmaßstab, Maßstäblichkeit, cartographic representation, scale in modeling.