Innebörd

Innebörd is a Swedish noun that refers to the content, sense, or meaning of something—what is conveyed by words, a text, a statement, or an action. It denotes the propositional content or the information that is expressed or understood, often focusing on what is conveyed rather than how it is expressed.

Etymology and nuance: the term combines inne- “inside” with börd, a root related to bearing or carrying, signaling what is carried within a statement or text. In everyday language, innebörd is sometimes used interchangeably with innehåll (content) but typically carries a stronger sense of the underlying meaning or the essential proposition. It is often contrasted with betydelse (significance or importance) and mening (the semantic or communicative meaning of a sentence), the latter two covering broader or slightly different aspects of meaning.

Usage: innebörd is common in linguistic, philosophical, and formal or analytical contexts. It is used when discussing what a text, argument, or action truly expresses at its core. For example, one might speak of the innebörden av ett påstående—a sentence’s content or the proposition it asserts—rather than its stylistic features.

Relation to related terms: innehåll generally refers to the material content or subject matter, while mening emphasizes what the speaker intends or what is communicated in a broader sense. Betydelse covers meaning in a wider sense, including interpretation and significance beyond the literal proposition. Innebörd thus sits between content and sense, focusing on the core informational content of what is communicated.

See also: meaning, sense, content, linguistics, semantics.