solcher

Solcher is a German determiner and pronoun meaning “such” or “such a.” It belongs to the family of demonstratives built on the base so- with the inflectional suffix -er. In modern usage it appears in attributive position before a noun and in pronominal use on its own. In attributive use it declines to agree with gender, number, and case. Typical nominative singular forms are: masculine “solcher Mann,” neuter “solches Kind,” feminine “solche Frau,” plural “solche Leute.” In other cases the endings follow the strong-inflection pattern of adjectives without an article. The phrase “solche Art” or “solcher Art” is common to indicate a kind or type, with “solcherlei” meaning “such and such” or “of that kind.” “Solcherlei” is often used in a general sense.

As a pronoun, form variations such as “solcher” (masc. singular), “solche” (fem. singular or plural), or “solches” (neut.) can stand alone to refer back to a previously described thing: “Solches habe ich nie gesehen” (“I have never seen such a thing”). In older or more formal German, “solcher” can function as a nominal determiner before a noun.

Etymology: the word derives from the demonstrative base sol- related to “so,” with an -er suffix forming a determiner. Related forms include “solch-” and “solcherlei.”

See also: solch-, solcherlei, solcher Art.

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