vereinzelte

Vereinzelte is a German adjective meaning scattered, isolated, or dispersed. It is used to describe occurrences, objects, or individuals that appear singly or in small numbers rather than in dense clusters. The form vereinzelte is used before plural nouns when no definite article is present; for example: "vereinzelte Fälle" or "vereinzelte Exemplare." In contexts with a definite article or possessive, the inflection changes (e.g., "die vereinzelten Fälle").

Etymology and related terms: the word derives from einzeln (single) with the prefix ver-, forming the verb vereinzeln (to isolate or single out). The corresponding noun is Vereinzelung, referring to the process of becoming isolated or dispersed.

Usage and contexts: in sociology, Vereinzelung describes the increasing isolation or atomization of individuals within modern mass societies, often discussed in relation to social integration, community ties, and urban life. In ecology and geography, vereinzelte occurs when individuals of a species or elements of a landscape are distributed sparsely rather than forming groups, as in "vereinzelte Bäume im Wald." In journalism and reporting, it can describe scattered incidents: "vereinzelte Störungen" or "vereinzelte Hinweise."

See also: Vereinzelung, Einzelgänger, dispersion.