skvättar

Skvättar is a Swedish noun referring to small splashes or droplets of liquid. The term is used both for the physical act of splashing, as when liquid hits a surface, and for describing a small amount of liquid added to something, often in cooking or beverage preparation. Common phrases include en skvätt mjölk i kaffet (a splash of milk in the coffee) or en skvätt rom i glöggen (a splash of rum in the mulled wine).

Etymology and usage notes: Skvättar derives from the verb skvätta, meaning to splash or spatter. The noun skvätt denotes a small quantity produced by such splashing. The plural form skvättar is widely used in everyday Swedish, particularly in colloquial speech. The term is informal and less likely to appear in formal writing, but it is well understood across Swedish-speaking regions.

Context and nuance: While primarily about liquids, skvättar can be used poetically to describe small, intermittent amounts of anything liquid-related, including rain or sauces. In culinary contexts, it often conveys a casual, approximate measure rather than a precise quantity.

Translations: In English, skvättar is commonly translated as splashes, dashes, or a splash, depending on the context (for example, a skvätt of milk or a splash of liquor).

See also: skvätta (to splash), droplet, splash (in cooking and beverage terminology).