unterstrichenen

Unterstrichenen is the inflected form of the German past participle unterstrichen, meaning underlined or emphasized. In modern German it most often functions as an attributive adjective describing text or elements that have been marked with an underline. The form unterstrichenen occurs typically when the noun it modifies is definite or requires a weak inflection, as in die unterstrichenen Wörter (the underlined words). In contexts without a definite determiner, the strong form unterstrichene Wörter is used, for example when no article precedes the noun.

Etymology and formation: Unterstrichenen derives from unterstreichen, a compound of unter- (under) and streichen (to stroke or draw). The participle is used adjectivally and declined to agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

Usage notes: As a descriptive adjective, unterstrichenen agrees with the noun it modifies. Example: Die unterstrichenen Wörter heben Schlüsselbegriffe hervor. In everyday language, the shorter form unterstrichen is also common in a predicative sense (“Die Wörter sind unterstrichen.”), whereas unterstrichenen is primarily seen in attributive position with definite determiners. The term can also appear in other grammatical cases and genders, e.g., der unterstrichenen Linie (dative or genitive contexts use the same -en ending in many feminine or neuter singular forms).

See also: Unterstreichen, Unterstreichungen.

In summary, unterstrichenen is the attributive, inflected form of the participle unterstrichen used to describe underlined elements, most commonly after definite articles or determiners.