belägg

Belägg is a Swedish noun with two primary meanings. One sense refers to a coating or surface layer—a thin material that covers another substance to protect, decorate, or modify its properties. Examples include paint, varnish, metal plating, or polymer coatings used on floors, machinery, or tools. In this sense, the related form beläggning is commonly used to describe the process or result of applying the coating.

The other main meaning of belägg is as evidence or justification that supports a claim or statement. In this usage, phrases such as “ett belägg för påståendet” or “finns belägg för” are common, signaling that there is supporting information or a basis for an assertion. This sense is frequent in academic, legal, and everyday discourse.

Belägg is etymologically linked to the verb belägga, meaning to cover or lay on, with be- plus lägga (to lay). The noun form belägg thus preserves the sense of a layer that covers or a basis that supports. In technical writing, belägg often appears in discussions of surface treatments and corrosion prevention, while in argumentative or evidentiary writing it appears as a noun for supporting evidence.

See also: beläggning (coating or surface treatment), bevis (evidence).