negativ

Negativ is a term with several related uses in German and other languages. It is primarily the German noun and adjective for the concept of negative, the opposite of positive. The word has two broad technical senses that recur in different fields.

In photography and printmaking, a Negativ refers to a negative image produced on light-sensitive material such as film or photographic plate. In a photographic negative, tonal values are inverted relative to the final positive image, so light areas appear dark and vice versa. Negatives are used to create positives through printing, developing, or projection processes.

In science and medicine, Negativ is used in the phrase negative result or negative finding, indicating the absence of a condition, trait, or pathogen. For example, a test result may be described as negative if it does not detect the target substance.

In linguistics and grammar, negation is the mechanism for denying or restricting the truth of a proposition. While the general concept is expressed with various negative forms in many languages, the term Negativ in German often appears in discussions of negation.

Negativ also appears as a proper noun in some contexts. It is used as a surname in German-speaking regions and has been adopted as a name for bands, albums, or other cultural works by different artists. Because of its broad usage, the meaning of Negativ depends on context, ranging from a technical term to a label or title.

In summary, Negativ denotes negation or absence, with specialized senses in photography and testing, and occasional uses as a surname or cultural identifier.