erhvervet

Erhvervet is a Danish adjective and past participle meaning acquired or obtained. It is used to describe traits, knowledge, skills, or conditions that are not present at birth but gained later in life. The term is often contrasted with medfødt, which refers to something congenital or inherent. Erhvervet is commonly used in everyday language as well as in formal contexts such as education, health, and biology.

As a modifier, erhvervet can precede a noun, producing phrases like erhvervet erfaring (acquired experience), erhvervet viden (acquired knowledge), or erhvervet immunitet (acquired immunity). In verbal usage, the word also forms part of the perfect tense with the auxiliary have: han har erhvervet ny erfaring (he has acquired new experience). The sense is that the attribute was obtained through effort, learning, or exposure rather than being innate.

Etymology traces erhvervet to the Danish verb erhverve, meaning to acquire or obtain. The term thus reflects the notion of something that has been gained through activity or experience rather than something innate or inherited. While often used in neutral, clinical, or analytical writing, erhvervet remains common in everyday Danish as a straightforward way to express acquired characteristics, skills, or conditions.

See also: medfødt, erhverv (to avoid confusion with the noun for occupation), ervervslivet (in business contexts).