kanterna

Kanterna is a Swedish noun meaning the edges, borders, or margins of something. It is the definite plural form of the masculine noun kant. The indefinite plural is kanter, the definite singular is kanten, and the definite plural is kanterna. The term is used to describe physical boundaries such as the kanterna av ett bord (the edges of a table), the kanterna av en sjö (the shores of a lake), or the kanterna av en skog (the edge of a forest). It can also refer to outer rims or borders in geography, design, or architecture.

In broader usage, kanterna can denote limits or boundaries in a more abstract sense, such as the kanterna of a region or the kanterna of a visual composition. The word is commonly found in descriptive or technical contexts, including discussions of shapes, layouts, or landscapes, as well as in educational texts when explaining edges and margins.

Etymology and related forms: kanterna comes from the Swedish word kant, which traces back to Old Norse kantr and shares cognates with other Germanic languages, all conveying the sense of an edge or border. The term is typically not used for interior or inner features, where kant or kantlinje-like terms might be substituted.

See also: kant, kantlinje, gräns, kantområde.