avtagende

Avtagende is an adjective used in Scandinavian languages—primarily Swedish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Danish—to describe something that becomes smaller, weaker, or less intense over time. In Norwegian and Danish the form avtagende is common, while Swedish typically uses avtagande. The term is built from a prefix meaning away or down (av-) and a stem related to diminishing, with a present-participle suffix that yields the sense of “decreasing” or “waning.”

The word is widely used in everyday language as well as in technical contexts. It can describe trends, demands, interests, rainfall, or other phenomena that lose magnitude or importance as time passes. For example, one might speak of an avtagende interesse in a topic or avtagende regn over a period of hours.

In scientific and mathematical contexts, avtagende also denotes a decreasing or non-increasing behavior. In calculus, a function is described as avtagende (decreasing) on an interval if its derivative is less than or equal to zero throughout that interval (f′(x) ≤ 0). This usage helps contrast with stigende (increasing) behavior, where the function grows with the input.

Etymologically, the form reflects the combination of the prefix av- with a root linked to decrease, plus a participial suffix, allowing the term to function both as an attribute and as part of fixed phrases such as avtagende trend or avtagende rate. Related terms include avtagning (waning, diminishment) and avtagende trend, which are used to describe similar processes in different domains.