skillelse

Skillelse is a Danish noun meaning the act or state of separating or distinguishing. It denotes the process of dividing two or more elements or of drawing a distinction between concepts, groups, or phenomena. The term can refer to physical separation, such as people living apart, as well as to abstract separation, such as categorizing ideas or objects.

Originating from the verb skille, meaning to separate, skillelse is formed with the abstract-noun suffix -lse. It is closely related to other Danish terms for division, such as adskillelse and opdeling, but skillelse often emphasizes the act of separating or distinguishing rather than the end result of separation.

In everyday language, skillelse appears in discussions of relationships, work or policy, and in scientific or intellectual contexts where distinctions between categories are described. In legal or administrative contexts it can denote separation of assets or responsibilities, or the formal act of separating parties before a broader change such as divorce. In the natural sciences, more specialized terms (for example faseadskillelse or adskillelse) are typically used for physical separation, while skillelse may appear in discussions about conceptual distinctions.

See also adskillelse, opdeling, differentiering.