verbrauchte

Verbrauchte is the participle form derived from the German verb verbrauchen, meaning to consume or to use up. As a word in isolation, it is usually understood as an adjective that denotes something has been expended or utilized. In practice, it appears most often as an attributive participial adjective before a noun or, less commonly, in a predicative position after a linking verb.

Grammatically, verb forms used as adjectives inflect according to gender, number, and case. For example: die verbrauchte Energie (feminine singular, definite article), die verbrauchten Ressourcen (plural, definite article), eine verbrauchte Energie (feminine singular, indefinite article). In everyday language, one may also hear or write die verbrauchten Kalorien or einen verbrauchten Akku, reflecting similar inflection patterns. The predicative counterpart is verbraucht, used after sein or bleiben: Der Akku ist verbraucht.

Usage and nuance: verbrauchte describes resources, energy, or other consumables that have already been used up or depleted. It is common in technical, economic, or environmental contexts, such as energy accounting, resource management, or waste studies. It should be distinguished from verbraucht in predicate function, where an exact state is stated, e.g., Die Energie ist verbraucht (energy is exhausted). Related terms include aufgebraucht (completely depleted) and verbraucht (spent) as a simpler past-participle form.

Notes: Verbal forms like verbrauchte can be confused with nominalized forms or other participles; in standard usage, the lowercase verb-adjective form is correct, unless it begins a sentence.