Utgörande

Utgörande is a Swedish term that stems from the verb utgöra, meaning to constitute or to form. It functions as a present participle used as an attributive adjective, describing something that constitutes or forms part of a larger whole. In statistical, legal, and formal texts it is commonly found in phrases such as utgörande andel or utgörande del, referring to the portion that makes up a total.

The primary sense of utgörande is to emphasize that a part or share constitutes a larger whole. For example, a sentence like Fyra största städerna utgör en betydande del av befolkningen illustrates the idea of a subset forming a substantial portion of the whole. Another frequent construction is den utgörande andelen av befolkningen, meaning the share that constitutes the population or a similar total.

Grammatical notes: utgörande is typically used directly before the noun it modifies (en utgörande andel, flera utgörande delar). It is formed from utgöra plus the participle suffix -ande and behaves as an adjective that highlights constituting or forming.

Etymology: the word is built from utgöra and the present participle suffix -ande, reflecting its function as a descriptor of what constitutes a larger unit.

In usage, utgörande emphasizes the constitutive relationship rather than merely describing a numerical relationship. It is distinct from the finite verb utgöra, which simply means to constitute in a clause.