afkalla

Afkalla is a Swedish verb that is not common in contemporary everyday language and is mainly encountered in historical or dialectal texts. It denotes the act of revoking, recalling, or withdrawing an order, decision, or status. In modern usage, speakers would typically use verbs such as upphäva, återkalla, or avskaffa, depending on the exact sense, rather than afkalla.

Etymology and context

The form appears to be built from the prefix af- meaning off or away, together with kalla meaning to call or name. This places afkalla within a family of Nordic and Germanic formations that express withdrawal or cancellation. Direct, widespread attestation in standard modern Swedish is sparse, and the word is largely of historical interest. Regional or archaic spellings and usages may appear in old administrative records and literature.

Usage and examples

Afkalla is primarily found in archival material or dialect contexts. In such sources, it is used to indicate that a decision, appointment, or directive has been canceled or withdrawn. An example construction would be: Beslutet afkallades av rådet. In modern Swedish, this sense is more commonly expressed with upphäva, återkalla, eller avskaffa, depending on the circumstance.

Modern status

Today afkalla is considered largely obsolete outside of historical study. It serves mainly as a linguistic artifact illustrating how Swedish historically formed terms for withdrawal or cancellation. For contemporary purposes, the standard verbs upphäva, återkalla, and avskaffa cover most related meanings.