aflægger

Aflægger is a Danish term rooted in the verb aflægge, which has multiple senses including to lay down, to present, to perform, or to swear. In ordinary use, aflægger appears mainly as the present tense form of the verb (for example, han aflægger), and it features in various fixed expressions.

Common uses of aflægge and aflægger include a range of formal and legal or ceremonial actions. For instance, aflægge et løfte means to give or make a promise; aflægge ed means to take an oath; aflægge en rapport means to submit or present a report. In legal and administrative contexts, aflægger can denote the subject who performs the action, as in “aflægger vidnesbyrd” (to give testimony). The phrase aflægge sig (something) is used to indicate relinquishing or laying aside a practice, habit, or possession, such as aflægge sig våben (to lay down weapons) or aflægge sig et vanemønster.

In addition to its general verb uses, aflægger appears in specialized contexts. In horticulture and botany, aflægger is connected to propagation techniques such as layering, where a shoot is prepared or laid into soil to form a new root system and a separate plant. In this usage, the term is tied to the process of vegetative propagation and is more common in technical or agricultural texts.

Overall, aflægger functions primarily as a verb form in Danish, with meanings centered on presenting, performing, or relinquishing actions, and it also features in technical terms related to plant propagation.