Afdrage

Afdrage is a Danish verb meaning to discharge or render a payment toward an obligation, typically by making regular payments or installments. It can also be used in more administrative contexts to mean delivering or presenting information or accounts to an authority. The related noun afdrag refers to an individual installment or contribution, while afdrage emphasizes the act of paying or rendering what is due.

In finance, afdrage describes paying down a loan, repaying a debt, or contributing to a fund. For example, one might afdrage a loan by making regular payments or afdrage funds to a pension scheme. In legal or governmental language, afdrage can also mean to render or submit accounts, reports, or other required documents.

Etymology traces afdrage to the Danish prefix af- combined with a root from older Germanic usage, where the term developed to indicate discharging or delivering what is due. The sense has become primarily financial and administrative in modern usage.

Usage notes: Afdrage is relatively formal; in everyday Danish, speakers may prefer more common verbs such as betale or afbetale for payments, and afdrag for the installment itself. The term afdrage is typically found in official, financial, or legal writing rather than casual speech.

See also: afdrag, afregning, regnskab.