lækkandi

Lækkandi is an Icelandic present participle and adjective formed from the verb lækka, meaning to lower or reduce. It describes something that is in a state of decrease or decline. In everyday and technical usage, lækkandi is used to characterize trends, values, or conditions that are moving downward.

As a modifier, lækkandi agrees with the noun it describes and can appear attributively or predicatively. Common phrases include lækkandi verðbólga (decreasing inflation) and lækkandi bensínverð (falling fuel prices). It is also used with nouns referring to quantities or measures, such as lækkandi stöðvun (decreasing activity) or lækkandi hitastig (decreasing temperature). In a sentence, it can function as a predicate adjective: Verðbólga er lækkandi. It is often employed in economic, scientific, and news writing to signal a downward trend.

Morphology and related terms: lækkandi is the present participle form; the noun form for the process is lækkun (a decrease). The opposite concept is hækkandi, meaning rising or increasing, which follows the same participle pattern. Like other Icelandic participles, lækkandi can be used both descriptively and evaluatively, but it remains a grammatical modifier rather than a fixed noun.

Notes: While commonly used in contemporary Icelandic, the precise choice of form can vary with register and context. Lækkandi emphasizes ongoing change, distinguishing it from a completed decrease, which would be described differently (for example, using a past tense or a noun such as lækkun).