Innfanget

Innfanget is a Norwegian term used as both an adjective and the past participle of the verb innfange, meaning to capture, ensnare, or imprison. The prefix inn- adds a sense of capture within something or inside a space. The word has cognates in Danish indfanget and Swedish infångad, reflecting its common Scandinavian roots from Old Norse fang (to seize).

In usage, innfanget describes something that has been captured or trapped. Literally, it can refer to prey caught in nets or traps, for example, fiskene ble innfanget i garnet (the fish were captured in the net). Figuratively, it can describe a person or idea that has been seized or contained within a situation or narrative, for instance innfanget i et narrativ. As an adjective, the form agrees with number and definiteness: innfanget (singular indefinite), den innfangede fisken (singular definite), de innfangede fiskene (plural definite).

Related forms include innfangning, the noun for the act of capturing, and the verb innfange in its various tenses. The term is most common in written Norwegian, including journalistic and scientific contexts, and appears in historical or literary texts when describing captivity, trapping, or figurative enclosure.

See also: fangst, fange, innfange, innfangning.