Flugt

Flugt is a noun used in Danish and Norwegian to denote the act of fleeing or escaping from danger, pursuit, or oppression. It is commonly found in legal, historical, and literary contexts and emphasizes the movement away from a threat rather than the destination. Phrases such as gå i flukt (Danish) or flykt (Norwegian) illustrate the sense of fleeing. A closely related concept in both languages is the term for a person who has fled, namely flygtning (Danish) or flyktning (Norwegian), meaning a refugee.

Etymologically, the word belongs to the family of North Germanic roots referring to escaping or fleeing. Cognates across related languages include Swedish flykt and Icelandic flótti, as well as German Flucht, all bearing the core sense of escape or flight. These connections reflect shared historical developments in how Germanic languages express movement away from danger.

In usage, fugitive or wartime contexts are common domains forflugt, including discussions of migration, asylum, and displacement. The concept can also appear in historical narratives describing mass movements or exoduses, as well as in metaphorical language referring to the passage of time or the flight of birds. While primarily a term for escape, its precise nuances can vary by language and register.

See also: Flight (general), Escape (disambiguation), Refugee, Flucht (German)