verdünnt

Verdünnt is a German adjective meaning that a liquid has had its concentration reduced by adding a solvent, typically water. It is used in science, medicine and everyday language to describe solutions that are weaker than the original, or a substance that has been watered down.

Etymology and usage: It comes from the verb verdünnen (to dilute); the past participle verdünnt is used attributively with nouns, as in eine verdünnte Lösung, verdünnte Farben or verdünnte Sauce. In everyday language, foods and drinks that have been watered down may be described as verdünnt.

In scientific contexts, dilution is a controlled process to adjust concentration. The common relation is C1V1 = C2V2, where C1 and V1 are the concentration and volume of the initial solution, and C2 and V2 those after dilution. A Verdünnungsreihe (serial dilution) is used to obtain standards, calibrators or to reduce infectious load in microbiology. Dilution can affect detection limits, potency and toxicity, and must be reported accurately.

In non-scientific use, verdünnt can describe paint, ink, or sauces that have been thinned. The opposite term is unverdünnt (undiluted) or konzentriert (concentrated). See also Verdünnung.