orsaker

Orsaker is a Swedish noun meaning the reasons or causes behind an event or condition. The singular form is orsak, and the plural is orsaker. In both everyday language and formal writing, the word is used to identify why something happened or exists, as in “orsaker till klimatförändringen” or “orsaken till olyckan.”

The word has cognates in other Scandinavian languages (Norwegian årsak, Danish årsag) and originates in the North Germanic linguistic tradition. In Swedish, it is common to pair orsak with phrases like “orsak till” and, in discussions of causality, with “verkan” to express cause and effect, for example “orsak och verkan.”

Usage across fields varies but centers on identifying determinants of events. In philosophy and science, orsaker are discussed as causal determinants or etiologies, with terms such as “orsaksförklaring” (causal explanation) or “orsaksfaktorer” (causal factors). In medicine and epidemiology, “orsak” or “orsaksfaktorer” refers to the etiology of diseases. In law and public policy, analysis of causal links and responsibility may also employ the term to describe what factors have contributed to a given outcome.

See also: causality, etiologi, riskfaktorer, orsakssamband.