Etterkant

Etterkant is a Norwegian noun meaning the rear edge or back boundary of an object. It is formed from the parts etter- meaning after or behind, and kant meaning edge or border. The term is used in technical, architectural, and everyday language to describe the side of a thing that is farthest from the observer or the side opposite the primary face.

In practical use, etterkant appears in contexts such as manufacturing, where a piece may have a finished etterkant or trailing edge, and in garment making, where it can refer to the edge of a fabric that is folded or sewn at the back. In descriptive writing or cartography, it can denote the boundary on the far side of a feature.

The word can be contrasted with front-edge expressions in some contexts, and in metaphorical use, etterkant may refer to aspects of a project that remain at the end of a process, though this usage is less common and highly contextual.

The definite form is etterkanten and the plural is etterkanter in specialized texts, though in everyday Norwegian the form is typically singular when describing a single object.

Notes: The term is primarily used in Norwegian-language texts. See also kant (edge) for related terminology.