bestemming

Bestemming is a Dutch noun that covers several related meanings connected to where something should go, what it is meant to achieve, or how it is used. The most common sense is destination: the place where a person or object is headed or intended to be delivered. In travel, transport and logistics, de bestemming is the delivery location; in tickets, itineraries or shipping labels you may see the term as the final stop or endpoint.

Secondly, bestemming can denote purpose or intended use: the goal or aim of an action, project or allocation of resources. In this sense it is akin to a desired outcome or objective. It is used in budgeting, planning and policy discussions to describe what funds or assets are meant to achieve.

In Dutch administrative practice, bestemming also has a technical meaning in land-use planning. Within a zoning framework, a 'bestemmingsplan' defines the designated use of land or buildings and the rules that apply to that use, such as residential, agricultural, commercial, or recreational. The concept thus links physical space to legal permissions and planning goals. For this reason, the word is common in municipal documents and real estate contexts.

Overall, bestemming centers on the idea of a chosen end state, whether it is the physical endpoint of travel, the purpose of resources, or the legally designated use of land and objects.