Avliden

Avliden is a Swedish term meaning the deceased. It is used as both a noun and an attributive or predicative adjective to refer to a person who has died. The word appears frequently in obituaries, funeral notices, and legal or cemetery records. In common, everyday Swedish, the simpler word död is more common, while avliden carries a formal tone.

The term is derived from the verb avlida, meaning to pass away or die. As a past participle, avliden is used to describe someone who has died and can be inflected for gender and number in standard Swedish grammar. Typical forms include en avliden (an deceased person), den avlidne (the deceased, masculine), and den avlidna (the deceased, feminine or neuter), with the plural de avlidna used for multiple deceased individuals. The exact definite forms can vary with noun class and context.

Usage and context: avliden is most common in official or solemn contexts, such as obituaries, memorial notices, legal documents, and cemetery records. It signals respect and formality when referring to a person who has died. In most casual writing or speech, a more direct term like död or avlidet to describe the event may be used. The word also appears in headlines or phrases that introduce a deceased person, such as “avliden presidente” or similar constructions in formal prose.