Kriteret

Kriteret is a Danish term that appears in discussions of evaluation and judgment, generally referring to a standard or point of reference used to judge or decide something. In contemporary Danish usage, the more common noun for this concept is kriterie, with plural kriterier and definite singular kriteriet. The form kriteret is not standard for the noun in most modern contexts and may be found as a nonstandard spelling or in older texts.

Etymology and forms: The Danish word kriterie is borrowed from French critère, which in turn derives from Latin critērĭum. Through Danish adaptation, kriterie developed its inflectional forms, giving rise to plural and definite singular variants. Because of spelling conventions and language change over time, you may encounter historical or regional texts that use alternative forms, including kriteret in limited or nonstandard uses.

Usage: The term is used across academic, administrative, and policy contexts to define the criteria by which something is evaluated. Common phrases include multiple criteria for selection, criteria for inclusion, and evaluation criteria. In practical writing, writers distinguish between singular criteria (a single criterion) and plural criteria (several criteria). Related terms include inclusion criterion (in Danish, inklusionskriterium) and selection criteria (udvælgelseskriterier). In cross-language comparisons, Danish kriterie aligns with Norwegian kriterium and Swedish kriterium, reflecting shared continental roots for what English speakers call a criterion.

See also: criterion, criteria, kriterie, kriteriet, kriterier. The concept remains central to research design, procurement, quality assurance, and performance assessment.