wissenschaftliche

Wissenschaftliche is the attributive form of the German adjective wissenschaftlich, meaning "scientific" or "academic." It is not a standalone noun, but a grammatical form used to describe a noun that relates to science, systematic knowledge, or scholarly methods. Common uses appear in phrases such as wissenschaftliche Methode (scientific method), wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse (scientific findings), and wissenschaftliche Publikation (scientific publication). In predicative position after a form of sein, the adjective typically appears as wissenschaftlich: Die Ergebnisse sind wissenschaftlich.

Etymology and meaning: The term derives from Wissenschaft, which denotes science, knowledge, or systematic study, combined with the suffix -lich, which forms adjectives meaning characteristic of or pertaining to. Thus, wissenschaftliche designates something that belongs to or is derived from disciplined knowledge, research, or scholarly practice.

Usage notes: German adjectives vary their endings according to gender, number, and case, and the context of the article or determiner. Wissenschaftliche commonly appears in singular feminine, masculine, and neuter forms with definite articles, and in plural forms as wissenschaftlichen in many cases (for example, die wissenschaftliche Methode, der wissenschaftliche Ansatz, das wissenschaftliche Prinzip, die wissenschaftlichen Ergebnisse). It can also appear in compound nouns or as part of longer noun phrases.

See also: Wissenschaft (science), Wissenschaftstheorie (philosophy of science), Wissenschaftler (scientist). The term is a standard linguistic form used across German-language writing to describe topics, methods, and findings that pertain to science and scholarly inquiry.