przymiotnikowy

Przymiotnikowy is a Polish adjective meaning “adjectival” or “pertaining to adjectives.” In linguistic usage the term describes phenomena that function as adjectives or belong to the class of adjectives (przymiotniki). It is used in scholarly analysis to label words or constructions that play an adjectival role, including adjectives proper and certain adjective-like forms derived from nouns or verbs.

In morphology and syntax, przymiotnikowy forms decline and agree with the noun they modify, varying for gender, number, and case. They can often participate in degrees of comparison, though not all adjective-derived forms do so in the same way as organic adjectives. Within Polish grammar, adjectives are a distinct word class from nouns and verbs, and przymiotnikowy is the umbrella label used when specifically referring to adjective-related phenomena.

A common subdivision relevant to the notion of przymiotnikowy concerns participles used as adjectives. Imiesłowy przymiotnikowe (participial adjectives) are forms derived from verbs that function as modifiers of nouns in a way similar to adjectives, for example, reading as “czytany tekst” (the text being read) or “napisany list” (the written letter). There are also standard adjectives formed from nouns through derivational suffixes, such as koloryowy or drewniany, which express qualities attributed to the noun.

Usage and scope: the term przymiotnikowy appears mainly in linguistic descriptions, grammars, and dictionaries. In everyday language, speakers typically refer to the category as “przymiotniki” rather than employing the umbrella label, but the term is useful for discussions of word formation and syntactic function.