Indirekte

Indirekte is an adjective and adverb in Norwegian and Danish meaning not directly or not in a straightforward way. The term is used across several domains to describe things that are conveyed, inferred, or established without direct expression, evidence, or action. Etymologically, indirekte derives from Latin indirectus through French indirect.

In language and grammar, indirekte describes indirect forms such as indirekte tale (indirect speech), where reported content is represented without quoting exact phrasing. Indirekte objekt refers to a recipient of an action, distinct from the direct object (for example, in the sentence Jeg ga henne en bok, henne is the indirect object). Indirekte spørsmål denotes reported questions embedded in statements.

In logic and mathematics, an indirekte bevis is an indirect proof, including proof by contradiction or proof by contraposition, in which the truth of a statement is established by ruling out its negation.

In law and evidence, indirekte bevis or circumstantial evidence refers to information that supports a fact by inference but does not prove it directly. Jurisdiction-specific rules determine how circumstantial evidence is evaluated.

More generally, indirekte describes processes or outcomes that are not achieved through direct action, such as indirekte tilnærming (an indirect approach) or indirekte konsekvenser (indirect consequences).