recherchées

Recherchées is the feminine plural form of the past participle of the French verb rechercher, and it also serves as the feminine plural form of the adjective recherché. Used with feminine plural nouns, it conveys that something has been sought after, desired, or found through research. It can describe items, information, people, or objects that have been the subject of searching or inquiry.

In common usage, recherché expresses a sense of desirability or rarity, as in des informations recherchées (information that has been sought) or un produit recherché (a sought-after product). It is frequently seen in journalism, analysis, and marketing to indicate items that are prioritized or in demand. The phrase personnes recherchées is well known in police or public notices to denote wanted or sought persons.

Grammatically, recherché is the masculine form. Recherchées appears when the affected noun is feminine and plural, for example: des données recherchées, des candidates recherchées, or les informations recherchées. The same form also arises in a passive-like construction when the verb rechercher is used with a feminine plural object, as in Les informations recherchées ont été vérifiées.

Etymology traces the word to the verb rechercher, itself from re- (again) and chercher (to seek). The sense evolved from “to search again” toward “to seek out, to look for with the aim of obtaining or confirming.” In English, traductions include sought-after, desired, or the information/investigation that has been sought.