Fördröjd

Fördröjd is a Swedish adjective meaning delayed, describing something that has a lag or postponed timing. It is used for events, processes, or responses that did not occur at the originally planned moment. The accompanying noun form is fördröjning, which denotes a delay or latency. In many contexts, fördröjd implies a causal or technical reason for the postponement, rather than a voluntary postponement.

Etymology and form: The word is formed from the prefix för- combined with the past participle dröjd, from the verb dröja, meaning to delay or to linger. Fördröjd is a standard, attributive adjective and can describe objects, actions, or signals.

Usage and examples: In everyday Swedish, one might say “Tåget blev fördröjt” (The train was delayed). In technical and scientific writing, the term appears in phrases like “fördröjd återkoppling” or “fördröjning i ett kontrollsystem,” referring to time delays introduced by a mechanism or system. The related noun fördröjning covers both mechanical latency and cognitive or communicative delays.

Distinctions: Fördröjd contrasts with försenad, which more commonly describes tardiness or lateness of a person or event rather than an intrinsic delay caused by a system. Latens is a closely related term often used in technical contexts to denote latency.

See also: dröja, dröjd, fördröjning, latens, tidsfördröjning.