individer

Individer is a plural noun used in Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian that denotes individual human beings or separate units within a population. It is the plural form of the noun individ and is common in both formal and informal language. In scientific writing, the term is often used to discuss people as discrete data points or as members of a study sample, while in everyday speech it can simply mean “persons” or “individuals.”

Etymology: The word derives from the Latin individuum meaning “an indivisible unit,” via French individu and other European languages. The Scandinavian form was established in the early modern period and follows regular plural formation: -er in many dialects.

Usage notes: In Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian, individer is typically used to emphasize individuals as discrete units, such as in research contexts, legal texts, or policy discussions. It is less common in casual conversation than “mennesker” (Norwegian/Danish) or “personer” (Swedish).

Examples: Swedish: “Studien analyserade hur olika individer i åldersgruppen reagerade.” Norwegian: “Hver enkelt individ har rettigheter.” Danish: “De enkelte individer deltog i undersøgelsen.” (Translations: The study analyzed how different individuals in the age group reacted. Each individual has rights. The individual participants took part in the study.) See also: individ, person, menneske.