kortaste

Kortaste is the superlative form of the Scandinavian adjective kort, meaning short. It is used to express that something is the shortest in comparison with other items within a defined set. In Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish, kortaste translates to “the shortest” and is most commonly found in definite noun phrases, such as den kortaste vägen (the shortest way), det kortaste sättet (the shortest method), or de kortaste vägarna (the shortest roads).

Morphology and usage

Kortaste is typically used before a noun in definite constructions. The form remains relatively stable across gender and number, with the surrounding noun carrying the usual definite marker or ending. For example: den kortaste vägen (the shortest road), det kortaste sättet (the shortest method), de kortaste vägarna (the shortest roads). In indefinite phrases or when using other grammatical degrees, languages of the same family often employ different forms (for example, the comparative kortare meaning shorter), but kortaste is the standard superlative in definite contexts.

Etymology

The word kortaste derives from the base adjective kort (short) with the superlative suffix -aste, a pattern common in Scandinavian languages. Cognate forms appear in Danish as korteste and Norwegian as kortaste, reflecting shared historical development in the region’s Cistercian and North Germanic languages.

See also

The term is primarily a grammatical and lexical item rather than a proper noun. It is used across Scandinavian languages to denote the extreme degree of shortness in a defined comparison, from distances and times to measurements and durations.