Ophæves

Ophæves is a Danish verb form meaning that something is being repealed, abolished, or annulled. It is the present passive form of the verb ophæve and is most commonly encountered in legal, regulatory, and administrative texts. In ordinary usage, it appears in statements such as "Loven ophæves" (The law is repealed) or "Afgørelsen ophæves af regeringen" (The decision is repealed by the government).

Grammatical notes: Ophæves is the present passive form, used without an auxiliary verb in typical Danish sentence structure. The corresponding active form is ophæve. The past participle is ophævet, as in "Loven er ophævet" (The law has been repealed). The noun form for the act or result of repealing is ophævelse, for example "ophævelse af loven" (repeal of the law).

Usage and scope: The term is predominantly found in statutory, governmental, and institutional communications. It signals that a law, regulation, decision, or policy has been repealed, nullified, or withdrawn. It can be used with a variety of subject nouns, from specific statutes to administrative rules. While synonymous terms exist—such as afskaffe (to abolish) and annullere (to annul)—ophæves emphasizes formal or legal repealing actions.

Etymology and related forms: The word is built with the prefix op- indicating reversal or removal, combined with the verb hæve. This formation yields a meaning akin to “remove by repeal.” Related forms include ophævelse (the act of repealing) and ophævet (repealed, past participle).