preliminära

Preliminär is a Swedish adjective meaning preliminary, initial, or provisional. It is used to describe something that is not final and may be subject to change, such as findings, plans, decisions, or assessments. The term is common in academic, administrative, legal, and professional contexts, where early results or steps are distinguished from later, more definitive ones. For example, one might refer to “preliminära resultat” or “preliminära bedömningar.”

In Swedish, adjectives inflect for number, definiteness, and gender. The form preliminär is used for singular common gender nouns, and preliminärt for singular neuter nouns. The plural form preliminära is used before plural nouns, as in “preliminära resultat.” In definite phrases, the adjective accompanies the definite noun in its corresponding form, such as “de preliminära resultaten.”

Etymology traces preliminär to Latin prae (before) and limināris (pertaining to a threshold) via the French/Latin-influenced path that produced the English preliminary. In Swedish, the word was borrowed and adapted to fit Swedish grammar and spelling, resulting in the forms preliminär, preliminärt, and preliminära.

Typical usage includes describing early-stage data, draft conclusions, or provisional plans. The term emphasizes temporality and non-final status, and it is often contrasted with more definitive or final terms such as avslutad (concluded) or slutgiltig (final). While broadly synonymous with provisional or introductory, preliminär frequently signals an intermediate stage pending further analysis or confirmation.