überflüssigen

Überflüssigen is the attributive, declined form of the German adjective überflüssig, meaning superfluous or unnecessary. It is not a separate lexical item but the inflected ending that the adjective takes when it directly modifies a noun with a determiner or appears in the plural. Examples include die überflüssigen Wörter, den überflüssigen Teil, and mit den überflüssigen Informationen.

Etymology and sense: The adjective derives from a Germanic formation related to Überfluss, meaning overflow or abundance. The sense of something being beyond what is necessary developed from the idea of excess or surplus. The suffix -ig is a common adjectival ending in German, and überflüssig as a base word has long been used to express that something is not needed or is excessive.

Grammar and usage: In predicative position after sein or bleiben, the form is überflüssig (Es ist überflüssig). In attributive position, the ending varies with case, gender, number, and determiner. After definite articles or in the plural, the ending is typically -en (e.g., den überflüssigen Teil, die überflüssigen Teile, mit den überflüssigen Details). With an indefinite article in the singular, forms like ein überflüssiger Schritt (masc), eine überflüssige Information (fem), or ein überflüssiges Detail (neut) occur. Without a determiner (strong inflection), you find überflüssige Informationen, überflüssige Details, etc.

Usage and nuance: überflüssig conveys evaluative judgment, usually indicating that something is unnecessary, redundant, or excessive. It is common in everyday language as well as formal writing. Related terms include unnötig (synonymous in many contexts) and Redundanz in technical discussions, while the noun form Überfluss is related to abundance rather than lack of necessity.

See also: Überfluss; unnötig; Redundanz; Sprachgebrauch.