völkerrechtlicher

Völkerrechtlicher is an attributive form of the German adjective derived from Völkerrecht, the field commonly translated as international law. The term is used to describe nouns that pertain to international law and does not denote a separate concept on its own. In legal and academic writing, you will encounter phrases such as völkerrechtlicher Vertrag, völkerrechtliche Verpflichtung, völkerrechtlicher Status or völkerrechtliche Normen.

Etymology and usage: Völkerrecht combines Völkerrecht (law of nations) with standard German adjective formation, producing völkerrechtlich as an adverb and völkerrechtlicher in its inflected adjective form. The form changes to völkerrechtliche, völkerrechtliches, or völkerrechtlichen depending on gender, number, and case. In English, völkerrechtlicher corresponds to expressions like “international-law [something]” or “of international law,” depending on context.

Common usage and context: The term appears in diplomacy, treaty texts, and scholarly analysis to denote the relationship of a thing to international law. It is distinct from völkerrechtlich (adverbially or predicatively) and from the broader noun Völkerrecht. Typical expressions include völkerrechtlicher Vertrag (an international-law treaty), völkerrechtliche Verpflichtung (an obligation under international law), völkerrechtlicher Status (status under international law), and völkerrechtliche Normen (norms of international law).

See also: Völkerrecht; international law; treaty law.