avbrytt

Avbrytt is a Norwegian past participle and adjective meaning interrupted, discontinued, or halted. It derives from the verb avbryta (to interrupt) or avbryte, employing the prefix av- to indicate reversal or removal and the root meaning to break or interrupt. In contemporary Norwegian, the standard past participle used in most formal writing is typically avbrutt; avbrytt occurs mainly in certain dialects and in older texts, where it may reflect regional or historical spelling conventions.

Usage and function

Avbrytt describes something that has been stopped before its planned completion. It is used in descriptive and technical language to denote an interrupted process, program, plan, or action. The term can function attributively, preceding a noun, or predicatively, describing the subject in a sentence, depending on dialectal and stylistic preferences. In practice, avbrytt appears in formal reports, historical documents, and older literature, and can be encountered in discussions of terminated research, suspended broadcasts, or halted operations.

Relationship to related forms

Avbrytt is closely related to avbrutt, the more common past participle in many standard Norwegian varieties. While avbrutt is widely used in Bokmål, avbrytt reflects regional spelling traditions or older usage. The pair exists within a broader set of participles formed from avbryta/avbryte and related verbs that express termination, interruption, or cessation.

See also

avbrutt, avbryta, avbryte, bryta

Note

This article provides a concise linguistic overview. Usage can vary by dialect and over time, and avbrytt may appear differently across Norwegian standards.