skaðlegu

Skaðlegu is the neuter singular dative form of the Icelandic adjective skaðlegur, which means harmful or injurious. In Icelandic, adjectives agree with the gender, number, and case of the noun they modify, and skaðlegu appears when the noun is neuter and in the dative case.

Etymology and form: The adjective skaðlegur is built from the root skað- meaning harm, derived from Old Norse and related to words for damage in other Scandinavian languages. The suffix -legur forms adjectives meaning “-ful” or “ful of,” so skaðlegur literally conveys the sense of “harmful.” The neuter singular dative form skaðlegu follows standard Icelandic patterns for neuter nouns in the dative.

Usage: Skaðlegu describes things that can cause harm to health, safety, or well-being, and it is used in formal, scientific, health-related, and everyday language. It is typically contrasted with non-harmful or benign terms, and it can appear in phrases where a neuter noun in the dative is present, such as after certain prepositions or in fixed constructions that require the dative case.

Related forms: The masculine and feminine nominative singular form is skaðlegur, the neuter nominative singular form is skaðlegt, and other declined forms follow Icelandic adjective inflection rules. The base noun skað means harm or injury, tying the meaning of skaðlegur to harm.

See also: skaðlegt, skaðlegur, Icelandic adjectives, Old Norse loanwords.

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