synthetische

Synthetische is the inflected form of the adjective meaning synthetic or man-made in German and Dutch. It is used to describe substances, materials, concepts, or processes that are produced by synthesis rather than occurring naturally. In German and Dutch, synthetische commonly appears in scientific and industrial contexts, for example synthetische Verbindungen (synthetic compounds), synthetische Fasern (synthetic fibers), and synthetische Duftstoffe (synthetic fragrances).

Etymology and sense: The term derives from Greek synthetikos, meaning “putting together,” from sun- “together” and thesis “placing.” It entered European scientific vocabularies in the modern era, via Latin syntheticus, and was adopted into German and Dutch with the meaning of artificial or manufactured.

Usage and contexts: In chemistry and materials science, synthetische compounds and polymers are contrasted with naturally occurring ones. In everyday language, the term covers a broad range of artificial products, including synthetische Arzneimittel (synthetic medicines), synthetische Düfte (synthetic fragrances), and synthetische Lebensmittelzusatzstoffe (synthetic food additives). In philosophy, the phrase synthetische Urteile (synthetic judgments) appears in Kantian terminology to denote judgments whose predicate adds information not contained in the subject concept.

See also: The English equivalent is synthetic. The term is language-specific to German and Dutch, where inflection and usage follow the respective grammar rules.

Note: While closely related to the broader concept of artificial or engineered creation, synthetische as a lexical form primarily functions as an attributive descriptor in its target languages.