Tillstånd

Tillstånd is a Swedish noun that denotes the state or condition of a person, object, or system. It is a broad term used in everyday language as well as in formal or technical contexts to describe how something is at a given moment, including physical, mental, or operational status.

In health care and medicine, tillstånd often refers to a person’s condition. For example, one might speak of a patient’s tillstånd being stable or improving. The term can cover a wide range of medical situations, from acute symptoms to chronic conditions, without implying a specific diagnosis.

In administrative and legal language, tillstånd denotes permission or authorization granted by an authority. Common compounds include byggnadstillstånd (building permit), arbetstillstånd (work permit), and uppehållstillstånd (residence permit). These uses reflect formal statuses that enable or restrict certain activities.

In technology and computing, tillstånd is used to describe the current status or mode of a system, device, or process. Phrases such as systemets tillstånd or tillståndsmaskin (state machine) are employed to discuss how software or hardware behaves over time.

Etymologically, tillstånd is a general term built from the idea of a state or standing. It is widely used in Swedish and is understood in both everyday speech and official documentation. The word can be singular or plural depending on the context, with ett tillstånd referring to a single condition or permission and tillstånd used for multiple states or in general statements.