jöfnun

Jöfnun is an Icelandic noun meaning the act or process of making things equal, balancing differences, or aligning values. It is used across everyday language and in technical or policy contexts to describe efforts to achieve parity or equity between elements such as figures, groups, or conditions. The form is derived from the verb jafna, meaning to equalize or balance, with the noun suffix -un that marks an action or process.

In linguistic and communicative use, jöfnun refers to the general idea of bringing things to an even or comparable state. In public policy and economics, it is often used to describe mechanisms intended to reduce regional or social disparities, such as transfers or programs designed to achieve fiscal or social equalization. In these contexts, jöfnun denotes both the objective of fairness and the means by which it is pursued.

In scientific and mathematical discussions, the concept of jöfnun may be invoked to describe procedures that aim to equalize values, normalize data, or bring different measurements onto a common scale. However, in technical mathematical language the verb jafna is more commonly used; jöfnun tends to be employed as the broader notion of making things equal rather than a specific operation.

See also: jafna, jafn, jafnrétti (equality), fiscal equalization.