zusammenhängend

Zusammenhängend is a German adjective meaning connected or coherent. Etymology: from zusammen (together) and hängend (hanging), figuratively “hanging together” to express coherence or connectedness. In everyday German, it describes things that form a logical whole or are physically connected. In text and discourse, zusammenhängend describes coherence of a text: a zusammenhängender Text has clear progression, causal links, and referential cohesion; scholars use kohärenz to discuss its properties. A zusammenhängende Argumentation presents reasons in a logically ordered way, with each part supporting the main claim.

In mathematics and science, the term has a precise technical sense. In topology, a topological space is zusammenhängend if it cannot be divided into two nonempty separated open sets; this is the translation of “connected space.” Path-connected spaces imply a stronger form of connectivity. In other domains, such as programming or physics, zusammenhängend may describe components that are physically or functionally linked.

Usage notes: While “zusammenhängend” often aligns with “coherent” or “connected,” the nuance differs by field: “kohärent” is common for abstract coherence, while “zusammenhängend” emphasizes structural unity. The related noun is Zusammenhang (context, coherence, or relation) and can describe a narrative or causal connection. The term remains productive in modern German, with both formal and colloquial applications.