kurzdauernde

Kurzdauernde is a German attributive adjective form meaning short-term or short-lived, used to describe phenomena, processes or objects whose duration is limited to a brief period. The base adjective is kurzdauernd, and kurzdauernde is the plural nominative and accusative form used before plural nouns (for example, kurzdauernde Ereignisse, kurzdauernde Verträge). In other grammatical contexts the ending changes according to gender, article and case, for instance die kurzdauernden Ereignisse (plural with definite article) or eine kurzdauernde Phase (feminine singular).

Usage and nuance

Kurzdauernde emphasizes a limited time span rather than permanence. It is often contrasted with terms like kurzfristig (in the near term), vorübergehend (temporary), or zeitlich begrenzt (time-limited). While all these expressions relate to duration, kurzdauernd highlights that the duration itself is short, rather than focusing on the immediacy of occurrence or the possibility of extension.

Contexts

The term appears across domains such as science, economics, medicine and everyday language. Examples include kurzdauernde Ereignisse (short-term events), kurzdauernde Verträge (short-term contracts) or kurzdauernde Phasen in a project. It can describe concrete measurements (kurzdauernde Reaktionszeit) or more abstract periods (kurzdauernde politische Entwicklungen).

Relation to related terms

Kurzdauernde is related to kurzlebig (short-lived) and temporär/vorübergehend (temporary), but with subtle distinctions: kurzlebig often refers to inherent fragility or rapid disappearance, temporär emphasizes non-permanence, while kurzdauernd foregrounds the length of time being explicitly brief.

Etymology

The term combines kurz (short) and dauernd (lasting), forming a compound adjective that is inflected to match noun number, gender and case.