föng

Fång is a Swedish noun that denotes a person who has been captured or detained, i.e., a captive or prisoner. The term is primarily used in historical, legal, or formal contexts to refer to individuals held by an authority, such as prisoners of war, criminals in custody, or detainees during investigations. In contemporary everyday Swedish, the more common words for the person are fånge or fången, while fång appears mainly in compound terms or older texts.

Etymology and related forms: Fång derives from the verb fånga, meaning to catch, which itself traces back to Old Norse fang- or related Germanic roots meaning to seize. The sense of a captured person appears in historical records, and the noun has given rise to related forms and compounds such as fångläger (prisoner of war camp) and fångenskap (captivity). In modern language, fånge is the standard term for a captured person, whereas fång as a standalone noun is mostly found in historical or formal usages.

Usage and distinctions: Fång is not typically used in everyday modern speech to describe a detained person; instead, fånge or fången is preferred. Fångläger and fångenskap are common in discussions of captivity, warfare, or detention. The word contrasts with fängelse, which denotes a prison, and with fånge or fångad, which describe the person or their state more directly.

See also: fånge, fångenskap, fängelse, fångläger.