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rätten

Rätten is a Swedish word with several closely related meanings centered on rules, entitlement, and justice. In everyday language it most often refers to the law or the legal system: the body of rules that govern conduct, regulate disputes, and determine obligations and penalties. It can also denote rights or privileges that individuals possess, such as civil rights or the right to a fair trial. In phrases like rätten att göra något, it marks a legally recognized entitlement or permission. The definite form rätten is commonly used when talking about the law, rights in a general sense, or the judiciary, as in discussions of rätten och rättvisa (law and justice) or rätten till en rättvis rättegång (the right to a fair trial).

Etymology and scope: rätten derives from the older Nordic form for right, correct, or straight, related to

Usage and nuance: rätten encompasses legal order, individual rights, and notions of fairness. Its exact sense

See also: lag, rättsstat, rättsväsen, rättigheter, rättvisa.

Danish
ret
and
Norwegian
rett,
and
to
the
English
right.
Over
time
it
came
to
signify
both
moral
correctness
and
the
codified
system
of
rules
that
constitute
a
state’s
law.
The
word
also
appears
in
compound
terms
such
as
rättsstat
(rule
of
law),
rättsväsen
(the
justice
system),
and
rättvisa
(justice).
Grammatically,
rätt
is
a
noun
and
can
take
the
definite
form
rätten;
as
an
adjective
it
appears
as
rätt,
meaning
proper
or
correct,
and
as
an
adverb
it
can
mean
correctly.
is
determined
by
context—whether
one
speaks
of
laws,
a
person’s
legal
rights,
or
the
pursuit
of
justice.
Related
concepts
include
lag
(law),
rättvisa
(justice),
och
rättigheter
(rights).