Medlemmars

Medlemmars is the genitive plural form of the Swedish noun medlemmar, meaning “members.” It is used to indicate possession by multiple members and appears in contexts referring to what belongs to a group of people who belong to an organization, club, or other collective.

In Swedish, possessive forms are created by adding the suffix -s to the noun. Therefore, medlemmar (members) becomes medlemmars (the members’). The possessive is written without an apostrophe, which differs from English usage. For completeness, the singular possessive is medlemens (the member’s), and the definite plural possessive is medlemmarnas (the members’). Examples include medlemmars röster (the members’ votes) and medlemmarnas rättigheter (the members’ rights).

Etymologically, medlem originates from a Germanic root related to the idea of a part or limb of a body, extended metaphorically to mean a person belonging to a group. The word has cognates in Danish and Norwegian (medlem) and shares the general sense of an individual who is part of a collective. The genitive suffix -s is a standard feature of Swedish grammar used to mark ownership or association with a plural noun.

Usage notes: medlemmars is common in formal writing, minutes, statutes, and organizational communications, as well as in everyday language when describing possessions or rights belonging to multiple members. It is not typically used as a proper noun or in non-possessive phrases. When clarity is needed, it is often paired with the definite article or noun, as in medlemmarnas beslut (the members’ decision).