Overtrådt

Overtrådt is a past participle used in Norwegian to indicate that someone or something has violated, breached, or gone beyond a rule, law, regulation, contract, or norm. The form is most often encountered in formal or legal language and in written journalism, where precise description of responsibility or fault is required.

Etymology and meaning: the word combines the prefix over- with the verb trå, historically related to stepping or treading. In figurative use, overtrådt conveys that boundaries or limitations have been crossed, rather than simply “breaking” something in a physical sense. In practice, it denotes infringement or noncompliance rather than a mere mistake.

Usage and grammar: overtrådt is the standard past participle in Norwegian Bokmål and is used with auxiliary har to form present perfect constructions, for example: har overtrådt (has violated). It can also appear in the passive voice as ble overtrådt (was violated). In everyday speech, synonyms such as bryte (to break/breach) are common, with overtrådt tending to carry a more formal or juridical tone.

Common collocations include overtrådt loven (violated the law), overtrått reglene (breached the rules), and overtrådt avtalen (breached the agreement). The term is frequently found in legal documents, regulatory notices, compliance reports, and news reporting on violations.

See also: bryte, lov, regelverk, avtale, juridisk språkbruk.