Tegn

Tegn is a common noun in Danish and Norwegian meaning sign, symbol, mark, or signal. It covers a broad range of meanings, from physical signs such as signs on a road to symbols used in writing, and to signs in reasoning or science, such as a diagnostic sign of a disease or a sign in a data sequence. In everyday language, tegn can also refer to non-verbal cues or gestures used in communication. In technology and computing contexts, tegn is used to mean a single character or symbol in text, such as a letter, digit, or punctuation mark.

Linguistic background: The word derives from Old Norse and Proto-Germanic roots and is related to cognates in other Scandinavian languages; Swedish tecken and Icelandic teikn are close equivalents. The term is widely used across formal and informal registers and appears in many compound expressions related to writing, communication, and notation.

Usage and examples: Common usages include referring to a sign of something (et tegn på noe), a symbol used in writing or notation, and a character within a digital text. In sign language discussions, tegn is a foundational term for signs and gestures. In academic and technical contexts, it appears in phrases describing symbols, operators, and other representational units.

See also: tecken (Swedish), teikn (Icelandic), Zeichen (Germanic cognate in other languages).