mænds

Mænds is the genitive form of the Danish noun mand/mænd, meaning men. In Danish, the plural form is mænd, and to express possession the suffix -s is added, producing mænds, equivalent to English "men's." When the possessive phrase refers to a definite group, the form becomes mændenes, as in the phrase "mændenes rettigheder" (the men's rights).

Etymology and form

The noun mand (man) comes from Old Danish and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *mannaz, related to the English word man. The plural in Danish is irregular, changing to mænd. The genitive suffix -s attaches to the plural, yielding mænds; with a definite noun phrase, the form is expanded to mændenes.

Usage

Mænds is used to indicate possession or association with men in general or with a specified group of men. Examples include "mænds arbejde" (the men’s work), "mænds sundhed" (the men’s health), and "mænds rettigheder" (the men’s rights). In written Danish, the definite possessive form—mændenes—serves to specify possession by "the men," while mænds covers non-definite possessive contexts.

Related forms

The base plural is mænd; the definite plural is mændene, and the definite possessive form is mændenes. Distinctions between singular and plural, and definite versus non-definite forms, are typical of Danish noun morphology.

See also

Danish grammar, possessive forms, and the Danish plural mænd. The word is a standard Danish term and should be interpreted within the norms of Danish syntax and orthography.