neutrale

Neutrale is a linguistic term used in several European languages to mean "neutral," describing something that is not biased, not reactive, or not taking sides. It derives from the Latin neuter, meaning “neither.”

In Italian, neutrale is an adjective used to describe neutral qualities. It generally inflects as the same form for masculine and feminine singular, with neutrali as the plural. For example, one might speak of a neutrale colore or neutrale posizione, though in practice Italian often prefers synonyms or phrasing that explicitly marks gender and number through surrounding articles or nouns.

In German, neutrale appears as the feminine singular and plural form of the adjective neutral. It is used before feminine nouns and in the plural. Examples include eine neutrale Haltung (a neutral stance) and neutrale Farben (neutral colors). In scientific and technical contexts, neutrale or neutrales is used to describe neuter or chemically noncharged items, such as neutrales Molekül (neutral molecule).

Beyond grammar, neutrale also appears in contexts related to neutrality in politics, law, and ethics, where states or actors are described as neutral or adopting a neutrality policy. This includes historical references to neutral states in diplomacy and international law, as well as contemporary discussions of moral or procedural neutrality in decision-making.

Etymologically, neutrale traces back to Latin neuter, via Latin and Germanic transformations that gave rise to similar forms across several European languages. Related terms include neutral, neutrality, and neuter, which share the core concept of being nonpartisan or non-reactive.