Påfyll

Påfyll is a noun used in Swedish and Norwegian to denote the act of refilling or replenishing something that has become empty or depleted. The term is commonly employed in everyday language as well as in service industries to indicate an added portion or replacement meant to restore a previous level. In both languages, podes of the word may appear as shorter forms or in combined terms such as påfyllning in Swedish.

Common contexts forpåfyll include food and drink, where a customer asks for a påfyll av kaffe or vatten in a café or restaurant, and hospitality settings where staff perform a påfyll to keep beverages or dishes stocked. It is also used in retail, logistics, and inventory management to describe replenishment activities that ensure shelves and dispensers remain full. In healthcare or pharmacies, the term may surface informally to refer to prescription refills, though formal terminology for such processes varies by country and professional setting.

Etymologically, påfyll derives from the verb fylla, meaning “to fill,” with the prefix på- indicating addition or after-the-fact action, yielding a sense of “refilling” or “replenishment.” While the concept is broadly similar across Swedish and Norwegian, regional variations exist in usage and formality. In specialized or technical contexts, more precise terms may be preferred (for example, specific medical or inventory vocabulary), but påfyll remains a common, everyday way to describe adding more to reach the original level.