substantivisch

Substantivisch is a term used in German grammar and linguistics to describe something that is noun-related or functions as a noun. The word is formed from Substantiv (noun) and the suffix -isch, meaning “pertaining to” or “like.” In grammar, substantivisch can refer to two related ideas: the nominal function of words that originate from other parts of speech, and the process of nominalization, where verbs or adjectives are turned into nouns.

Nominalization is a central aspect of substantivisch usage. A verb such as laufen can be nominalized to das Laufen, meaning “the act of running,” and can function as a noun in a sentence. Similarly, an adjective like gut can give rise to a nominal expression such as das Gute, meaning “the good (thing/concept).” These nominalized forms often carry syntactic properties of nouns, including capitalization and compatibility with articles and case endings in German.

In linguistic descriptions, substantivisch is used to contrast with other functional categories such as verbal or adjectival usage. It is also connected to stylistic considerations, for example in the German nominalstil (nominal style), which relies heavily on nouns and nominalizations to convey information in a dense, abstract manner.

Substantivisch therefore covers both the broad idea that something is noun-like and the specific linguistic processes that turn non-nouns into nouns. The term appears mainly in scholarly or educational contexts and in discussions of German grammar, morphology, and style.