begreb

Begreb is a Danish noun meaning concept, notion, or mental representation. It denotes an abstract unit that can be grasped, understood, and used in thought to classify, relate, or reason about things. In everyday language, a begreb is something you can express with a word or idea; in philosophy and cognitive science, it refers to the mental content that underlies judgments and language.

Etymology and cognates: begreb is generally linked to the verb begripe, meaning to grasp or comprehend. The noun form emphasizes something that is graspable or intelligible. It is cognate with Norwegian begrep and Swedish begrepp, reflecting common Germanic roots for “grasp” and “understand.”

Usage in fields: In philosophy, concepts (begreber) are the basic objects of thought, used to form propositions and engage in reasoning. In linguistics and cognitive science, begreb relates to how meanings are represented mentally and how they map to language, including theories of categorization and prototypes. In education, concept-based teaching (begrebslæring) focuses on understanding core concepts rather than memorizing isolated facts, aiming to support transfer across contexts.

Nuances: Begreb often emphasizes a shared, graspable unit that enables communication and reasoning, whereas words like idé or tanke may highlight subjective or creative mental content. The term can be used for concrete ideas (the concept of time, the concept of justice) as well as more abstract or theoretical constructs.

See also: concept, category, abstraction, cognition.