lådan

Lådan is the definite singular form of the Swedish noun låda, meaning a box or container used to store items. A låda can be a simple, rigid container with a lid, or a shallow box used for organizing and transporting goods. Lådor vary in size and material, including wood, cardboard, plastic, metal, or combinations of these. They are widely used in households for storage, in offices and workshops for sorting, and in shipping and retail for packaging. In furniture, lådor also refers to drawers, the sliding compartments within desks, chests, or dressers.

Grammatical notes: låda is a common gender noun. The indefinite singular is en låda; the plural is lådor. The definite singular form is lådan, and the definite plural form is lådorna. The word is frequently used in both everyday speech and written Swedish, and it intersects with related terms such as kista (chest) or skrin (case, trunk) depending on context and design.

Usage and examples: man kan lägga böcker i lådan (one can put books in the box), lådan står på bordet (the box is on the table), eller en låda för förvaring (a storage box). Lådor are also common in packaging and shipping, where they protect contents during transport.

Etymology and related forms: låda has roots in Swedish and belongs to the Germanic language family; it has cognates in related Scandinavian languages. The definite form lådan is used when referring to a specific box already known from context.