grevlig

Grevlig is a Swedish adjective used to describe something related to a count (greve) or things characteristic of noble status. The term implies a connection to aristocratic rank, dignity, or courtly bearing. In older or literary Swedish, grevlig could be applied to people, manners, estates, or heraldic features that evoke the authority or elegance associated with the title of count.

Etymologically, grevlig is formed from greve (count) plus the adjectival suffix -lig, similar to other adjectives such as prinslig (princely). The word is now considered old-fashioned or literary in modern Swedish, and is seldom used outside historical writing, poetry, or stylistic prose. In everyday language, more common expressions for the same idea are adlig (noble) or aristokratisk (aristocratic).

Usage and nuance: grevlig tends to carry a sense of traditional nobility and refined, perhaps ceremonial, manners or settings. It can appear in descriptions of noble estates, historical chronicles, or in renditions aiming to evoke a bygone aristocratic milieu. Because it is rarely used in contemporary speech, its presence may signal a deliberate archaism or a historical tone.

See also: adlig, greve, adel, prinslig. Notes: grevlig is distinct from trevlig, a common word meaning pleasant, though the two share a similar spelling that may lead to confusion in casual reading.