brukast

Brukast is a linguistic term that appears in philological discussions of North Germanic languages to refer to a potential passive or impersonal form derived from the verb bruka/bruk- meaning “to use” or “to be customary.” The form brukast is primarily found in historical sources and some dialects, rather than as a standard form in contemporary Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, or Icelandic.

In modern Scandinavian languages, the corresponding passive or impersonal forms are typically brukas in Swedish, brukes or brukas in Norwegian and Danish, and similar equivalents in other closely related varieties. The concept of brukast is used to discuss how these languages form passives or impersonal constructions from verbs that denote habitual actions or general usage, allowing statements where the agent is unknown or unimportant.

Etymology notes that brukast derives from the root bruka/bruk- meaning “to use,” with a passive or impersonal suffix appearing in certain dialects or historical spellings. As a result, brukast is mainly of interest in historical grammar and dialectology rather than as a living, everyday form in standard modern varieties.

See also: Bruka, Brukas, Brukes, Passive voice in Germanic languages, Scandinavian linguistics.