bedømme

Bedømme is a verb used in Danish and Norwegian to mean to judge, evaluate, or form an opinion about something or someone. It can denote estimating quality, value, truth, or suitability, and is often used when a reasoned assessment is required. The term also translates roughly as to deem or to consider in English. It is common in everyday speech as well as in professional fields such as education, journalism, science, and law, where it characterizes evaluation procedures, judgments about evidence, or determinations of merit.

In Danish and Bokmål Norwegian, bedømme is conjugated as bedømmer in the present tense, bedømte in the past, and bedømt as the past participle in perfect constructions. The verb is typically used with a direct object and, depending on context, with a complement introduced by som (as) or at (that). For example: "Jeg bedømmer projektet som vellykket" and "Hun bedømmer rapporten som grundig" illustrate assessment and appraisal.

The term's etymology lies in the Germanic family of languages; it shares cognates across Scandinavian languages and is related to words meaning to assess or judge. A related noun is bedømmelse (the act of judging or evaluating). In contrast, dømme is used for judging in a legal sense, such as to sentence a conviction.

See also: vurdere (to assess), bedømmelse (assessment), dømme (to judge legally).