lindre

Lindre is a verb used in Danish and Norwegian that means to relieve, ease, or mitigate. It is applied to both physical conditions, such as pain or symptoms, and non-physical burdens, such as tension, distress, or conflicts. In medical, social, and policy contexts, lindre denotes actions intended to reduce suffering or lessen adverse effects.

The related noun lindring denotes relief or alleviation, while the adjective lindrende describes something that provides relief or soothing effects. In practical use, phrases such as lindre smerter or lindre en konflikt are common, with English translations typically rendered as “to alleviate pain” or “to ease a conflict.” The term emphasizes the act of reducing intensity rather than curing underlying causes.

Cross-linguistic notes show cognates in other Scandinavian languages. In Swedish, a closely related verb is lindra, which carries a similar meaning but uses different conjugation. Etymologically, lindre sits within a family of terms for relief and soothing across the Nordic languages. While the word is most characteristic of Danish and Norwegian, its concept—reducing intensity or suffering—is widely familiar in many languages.