biskoparnas

Biskoparnas is the Swedish genitive plural form meaning “the bishops’.” It functions as the possessive of the definite plural biskoparna, which translates to “the bishops.” In Swedish grammar, biskoparna means the bishops, and adding the suffix s yields biskoparnas, used to indicate ownership or association by the bishops.

Morphology and usage

The formation reflects standard Swedish patterns for possessives: the definite plural noun biskoparna (the bishops) gains the genitive ending -s to form biskoparnas (the bishops’). This construction is commonly found in historical and geographical contexts, especially in toponyms and land records, where a place, estate, or building is described as belonging to the bishopric or to the bishops.

Historical and toponymic context

In medieval and early modern Sweden, bishops held substantial land and property within their dioceses. Charters and records often describe estates and villages as belonging to or administered by the bishop or bishopric, and phrases using biskoparnas appear in such documents. The form appears in place names or descriptions that reflect historical ownership rather than contemporary administrative status.

Modern relevance

Today, biskoparnas is primarily encountered in historical writing, linguistic analysis, and toponymy. It is not a standalone modern administrative term but a grammatical form that helps indicate historical ownership by bishops in names and texts.

See also

Bishop in art and history, Diocese, Toponymy, Swedish grammar.