allmän

Allmän is a Swedish adjective meaning general, universal, or public, depending on context. It is used to describe things that relate to broad groups or the community as a whole, as well as objects intended for general use or open access. Common collocations include allmänheten (the general public), allmän kunskap (general knowledge), and allmänna regler (general rules).

It derives from Old Swedish allmänn, from roots meaning “belonging to all.” The sense has evolved to signify what concerns or applies to all people, or to what is widely applicable rather than to something particular or private.

Usage notes: allmän describes scope, reach, or accessibility, while offentlig emphasizes government, administration, or official status. The terms are related but not always interchangeable. For example, in legal or urban planning contexts, en allmän plats (a public place) is a standard term, while en offentlig plats may be used more generally for officially designated public space.

Other compounds include allmännyttig, meaning for the public good, often used of organizations or services intended to benefit citizens, such as allmännyttiga bostadsbolag. In linguistic style, allmän commonly appears in phrases such as allmänna principer (general principles) and allmän kunskap (general knowledge).

Cognates exist in other Germanic languages, reflecting a shared history of the word. Overall, allmän captures broad applicability and public relevance, distinguishing wide scope from private or specialized domains.