Toestaat

Toestaat is a Dutch noun meaning permission or authorization granted by a competent authority to perform a specific action. The term is derived from the verb toestaan, to allow, and denotes the result of granting permission rather than the act of granting itself. In contemporary usage, the related terms toestemming (consent) and vergunning (permit) are more common; toestaat tends to appear in legal, administrative, or historical texts and may carry a more formal or archaic tone. The sense can be described as the state or condition in which an action is permitted under law or regulation.

Etymology and form: Toestaan means to allow, and toestaat is formed with an abstract noun suffix that signals a state or condition. This yields a concept-oriented sense—focus on the permissive status rather than the specific permit document.

Usage and nuances: Because of its formal flavour, toestaat is often found in statutory language or formal descriptions of compliance regimes. It is less suitable for everyday language, where toestemming or vergunning would be preferred. In some contexts, toestaat can refer to the permissive scope granted by a rule or regulation, rather than to a concrete permit.

See also: toestemming, vergunning, machtiging, toelating.