løse

Løse is a verb used in Danish and Norwegian to mean primarily to solve or to resolve a problem, question, or situation. The infinitive form is løse, with present tense løser, past tense løste, and past participle løst, in both languages. In Danish, the perfect tense uses the auxiliary har (jeg har løst opgaven); in Norwegian Bokmål, the same auxiliary har is used (jeg har løst oppgaven). The verb is commonly employed in contexts such as solving a puzzle, answering a query, or settling a dispute.

Usage and nuance: Løse is routinely applied to intellectual or abstract problems, as in at løse en gåde (to solve a riddle), at løse et problem (to solve a problem), or at løse en konflikt (to resolve a conflict). It can also appear in phrases meaning to bring a situation to a close by finding a solution. The sense of loosening or unfastening is not the primary meaning in contemporary usage; those senses are typically expressed with other verbs or with dialectal/older forms.

Etymology: Løse derives from Old Norse leysa, related to the Proto-Germanic root *lausaną meaning “to loosen” or “to release.” It is cognate with the English word “loose” and the German verb lösen, which helps explain its shared meaning related to freeing or solving.

See also: Løs, the Danish adjective meaning loose; lösen, the German verb with related meaning.