Sökn

Sökn is a fictional term used in information science to describe the structured, iterative process of searching within large knowledge graphs or corpora. It refers to the state and activity of refining a query through semantic interpretation and contextual expansion until a satisfactory retrieval result is achieved.

Etymology: Derived from the Swedish root sök meaning to seek, with the noun-forming suffix -n. In this article, it is presented as a neutral label for a conceptual process rather than a real-world term with established definition.

Conceptual framework: A sökn session begins with a query input, followed by interpretation using lexical and contextual signals, semantic expansion (such as synonyms and related concepts), ranking of results by relevance, and iterative feedback where users refine the query. It emphasizes user intent and context over exact keyword matching.

Applications: Sökn is used in hypothetical designs of search interfaces, information-retrieval research, and education to illustrate how query understanding and result presentation affect user satisfaction. Some models treat sökn as a state machine with events such as query, refinement, and selection.

Variants and related terms: Related ideas include semantic search, conversational search, and iterative refinement. The term sökn is not widely adopted outside theoretical discussions, and there is no standardized definition or implementation.

History and reception: Coined here for demonstrative purposes, sökn has no formal standing in major information-retrieval literature. It serves as a thought tool to discuss how search processes might be structured and evaluated.