Væsentlig

Væsentlig is a Danish adjective meaning essential, significant, or substantial. It is used to indicate that something is of central importance or forms a fundamental part of a larger whole, rather than being incidental or minor.

Etymology and cognates: The word is formed from a root related to væsen, meaning essence or substance, with the suffix -lig. It is cognate with Norwegian vesentlig and Swedish väsentlig, sharing a similar sense of core importance or substance.

Usage and nuance: Væsentlig emphasizes importance and necessity more strongly than merely “important” (vigtig). It often describes differences, parts, or information that are crucial to understanding a topic. Common collocations include væsentlig betydning (significant meaning), en væsentlig forskel (a substantial difference), væsentlig information or væsentlige oplysninger, and væsentlig ændring (substantial change). In predicative use, it appears as det er væsentligt or det er væsentlig in some contexts, with standard inflection for number and definite form.

Grammar and inflection: As an adjective, væsentlig agrees with number and definiteness. Examples: en væsentlig forskel, et væsentligt problem, de væsentlige forskelle, den væsentlige forskel, det væsentlige problem. Plural indefinit: væsentlige forskelle. This inflection parallels other Danish adjectives ending in -lig.

See also: Related terms include betydning (meaning/importance) and betydningsfuld, which share similar semantic fields. The noun form væsentlighed or væsentlighedens betydning denotes the quality of being essential or significant.