Benævne

Benævne is a Danish verb meaning to designate or name someone or something, typically in a formal or official sense. It can refer to appointing a person to a role or giving a specific name or designation to something, rather than a casual mention.

In practice, benævne is used in legal, administrative, and organizational language. It appears in phrases such as benævne en komité (to designate/appoint a committee) or benævnt til formand (named or designated as chairman). The term emphasizes an official or formal act of naming rather than a simple reference.

Grammatical notes: The infinitive is benævne. Present tense forms include benævner. Past tense is benævnte, and the supine is benævnt. In passive or impersonal constructions, the verb can appear as benævnes, and a past passive form can be expressed with blev benævnt.

Etymology and related terms: Benævne is a prefixed form related to nævne (to name/mention), with be- functioning as an intensifying or aspectual prefix in this usage. It has cognates in other Scandinavian languages and is related to German benennen (to name). Related Danish verbs include udnævne (to appoint) and udpege (to designate), which share the general sense of giving a formal designation.

See also: udnævne, udpege, navngive, benævnelse (designation), benævnt (named). These terms appear in similar administrative or formal contexts.