weites

Weites is the neuter singular inflected form of the German adjective weit, meaning wide, broad, or extensive. It is used attributively before neuter singular nouns in specific grammatical contexts. When the noun is introduced by an indefinite article or no article, the form is ein weites Feld or weites Feld, respectively. With a definite article, the form becomes das weite Feld. In other words, weites appears in neuter singular after an indefinite determiner or no determiner, while das weite Feld shows the weak inflection after a definite determiner. The feminine and plural forms differ (eine weite Straße; weite Felder; die weiten Felder).

Etymology and cognates: weit comes from a Germanic root meaning broad or far-reaching. Its cognates include the English wide and the Dutch wijd, reflecting a shared Proto-Germanic heritage. The word is common in descriptive writing and everyday speech.

Usage notes: weites is primarily an attributive adjective form and is not used predicatively in the same way as the adverbial or base form weit. It frequently appears in contexts describing physical size or spatial extent, as in ein weites Feld, weites Gelände, or weites Meer. The word can pair with a variety of neuter nouns to convey a sense of broadness or expansiveness.

Related forms: the noun Weite (capitalized) exists as a separate word meaning openness, vastness, or distance, and the plural Weiten refers to expanses in a geographical or literary sense. These are distinct from the adjectival form weites, which modifies a noun directly.