påvist

Påvist is a past participle form used in Norwegian (bokmål and nynorsk) and Danish, derived from the verb påvise, meaning to prove, demonstrate, or establish something through evidence or testing. As an adjective, påvist describes something that has been confirmed or demonstrated by appropriate evidence, tests, or investigations.

The term is commonly used in medical, laboratory, and scientific contexts to indicate that a condition, infection, pathogen, or abnormal finding has been demonstrated or lab-confirmed. Examples include phrases like påvist infeksjon (a confirmed infection), påvist sykdom (a diagnosed disease), or påvist antigen. In clinical reporting and epidemiology, påvist typically contrasts with expressions for suspected or unconfirmed cases, such as mistanke or mistenkt.

Etymologically, påvist is formed from påvise (to prove or show) with the suffix -vist, which creates an adjective from a past participle. The construction is part of a broader family of verbal adjectives used to express evidence-based status. In neighboring Scandinavian languages, cognates exist: Danish commonly uses påvist in similar contexts, while Swedish uses forms such as påvisad or påvisat depending on grammatical gender.

In use, påvist signals that a finding has been established through testing, examination, or formal confirmation rather than mere possibility. The term is most frequent in formal writing, clinical notes, laboratory reports, and public health communications, where precise status—confirmed versus suspected—matters for diagnosis, treatment, and statistics.