sämtlicher

sämtlicher is a German adjective that means “entire,” “whole,” or “all.” It is used to emphasize that no part is left out and that something is complete. The word is often found in both spoken German and in written texts such as legal documents, literature, and academic writing. It is typically used in the nominative and accusative plural forms: sämtliche (nominative plural) and sämtliche (accusative plural), as well as the singular forms: sämtlicher (masc., nominative singular), sämtliche (fem., nominative singular), sämtliches (neut., nominative singular).

The adjective is closely related to the German noun sämtliche, which can be used substantively to refer to “all of them.” In many contexts, sämtlicher occurs with a noun that is deemed comprehensive, such as täu­mässig (in terms of all aspects) or sämtliche Dokumente (all documents). In legal contexts the term is frequently used to refer to the full set of laws or regulations in a particular area (“sämtlicher Vorschriften”).

The origin of sämtlicher comes from the Middle High German word siemet, meaning “delight, example,” eventually giving rise to the modern sense of completeness. It is often contrasted with other adjectives such as ganz or komplett, which also denote wholeness but have slightly different connotations. While ganz and komplett tend to stress physical or conceptual wholeness, sämtlicher emphasizes an exhaustive inclusion of parts or aspects.