kvinde

Kvinde is the Danish noun for an adult female person. In contemporary Danish, it refers neutrally to a woman. The word is declined like a standard feminine noun: en kvinde (indefinite singular), kvinden (definite singular), kvinder (plural), and kvinderne (definite plural). The feminine form is used with adjectives such as kvindelig (female, feminine) and appears in many common phrases and compounds.

Etymology and cognates: The term belongs to the North Germanic family of words for woman. It has cognates in neighboring languages, including Swedish kvinna and Norwegian kvinne, reflecting a shared historical root. The precise development is a matter of linguistic reconstruction, but the word represents one of the region’s longstanding terms for gender and womanhood.

Usage and context: In Danish, kvinde is a general, neutral term for an adult woman. It appears in everyday speech, media, literature, and law, and in compound terms such as kvindebevægelsen (the women’s movement) and kvindelige (feminine, female). The word is commonly used in discussions of gender, rights, and society, with no inherent negative or positive connotation beyond the context.

Variations and related terms: Danish shares related forms with Swedish and Norwegian, which use kvinna and kvinne respectively. Modern usage also employs gender-neutral or inclusive language in certain contexts, but kvinde remains the standard term for a woman in Danish.