zweckbestimmte

Zweckbestimmte is an attributive adjective in German, formed from Zweck (purpose) and bestimmt (determined). It describes something that is designed, chosen, or limited for a specific purpose. The form zweckbestimmte appears in various gender and number combinations, for example der zweckbestimmte Zweck, die zweckbestimmte Regel, or die zweckbestimmten Maßnahmen.

In use, zweckbestimmte is common in technical, organizational, and scholarly language. It signals that an object, procedure, or dataset is not generic but tailored to a defined aim. The term is closely related to, yet subtly distinct from, synonyms such as zielgerichtet (goal-directed), zweckorientiert (purpose-oriented), or zweckgebunden (purpose-bound). While related, these terms differ in nuance: zweckbestimmt emphasizes explicit purpose designation, whereas zielgerichtet focuses more on direction, and zweckgebunden on binding to a specific purpose.

Typical applications include phrases like zweckbestimmte Maßnahmen (purpose-specific measures), zweckbestimmte Datenerhebung or Datennutzung (data collection or use for a specified purpose), and zweckbestimmte Forschung (research aimed at a defined objective). In discussions about data protection and ethics, the idea of restricting actions to a clearly stated purpose is aligned with principles of purpose limitation and purpose specification, though the exact German terminology may vary (for example Zweckbindung or Zweckbestimmung).

Overall, zweckbestimmte functions as a concise descriptor for anything intentionally aligned with a particular aim, reinforcing clarity and scope in technical and formal contexts.