Avdødes

Avdødes is the possessive form of the Norwegian noun avdød, meaning the deceased. In Norwegian legal, administrative, and formal writing, avdødes is used to indicate that something belongs to the person who has died, for example avdødes bo (the estate of the deceased) or avdødes eiendeler (the deceased’s assets). The form functions as a genitive construction formed by adding the suffix -es to the base noun.

In practice, avdødes appears in phrases that refer to property, rights, or obligations associated with someone who has died. The most common usage is avdødes bo, the estate left by the deceased, which is subject to distribution to heirs through the probate process, known in Norwegian as skifte. Other possible usages include avdødes eiendom or avdødes arvinger, depending on what is being described.

The term is primarily found in written Norwegian within legal, administrative, and obituary contexts. In everyday speech, speakers may use non-possessive forms such as de avdøde or simply avdød, depending on the register and region. Avdødes thus remains a feature of formal language that helps specify ownership or possession tied to someone who has died.

Etymologically, avdødes is formed from avdød, the adjective-noun meaning deceased, with the possessive suffix -es, a common pattern in Norwegian for indicating possession in formal usage. See also avdød, bo, arvinger, skifte.