morgenen

Morgenen is the definite singular form of the noun morgen, used in Danish and Norwegian to denote the morning as a specific, identifiable time of day. It is employed when the speaker refers to “the morning” as a distinct portion of the day, rather than the generic concept of morning in everyday speech.

Etymology and forms: The word originates from the broader Germanic word for morning and is related to cognates in other Nordic and Germanic languages. The definite form morgenen reflects the languages’ system of noun definiteness, in which a suffix is added to the base morgen to indicate a particular, known morning.

Usage: In contemporary Danish and Norwegian, common expressions for general reference are om morgenen or i morgenen, meaning “in the morning.” The bare morgenen tends to appear in more formal, literary, or historical contexts, or when the morning is being treated as a definite segment in a narrative or description. The form may also appear in fixed phrases, headlines, or when the morning is personified.

See also: Morgen (the general term for morning); Definite noun forms in Danish and Norwegian.