spegla

Spegla is a Swedish verb meaning to reflect or to mirror, in both physical and figurative senses. It can refer to light or an image forming a reflection on a surface, as well as to representing or illustrating something by likeness. In everyday language, speeches or visual art may be described as “spegla verkligheten” when they portray how things actually are.

Usage and forms: In a physical sense, spegla describes the action of a surface producing a mirror image, for example when light is reflected in a plane surface. In a figurative sense, spegla is used to indicate that something mirrors or represents another thing, such as a situation, reality, or trend. The verb is transitive and typically takes a direct object as the thing being reflected: spegla verkligheten, spegla en bild. It can also appear with the reflexive construction spegla sig, used with a prepositional phrase to express that something is reflected in or manifested in another context, for example samhällsproblem som speglar sig i bostadsmarknaden.

Etymology and cognates: Spegla is a common Scandinavian verb. It is cognate with Danish spejle and Norwegian speile, all linked to the same Old Norse and Proto-Germanic roots relating to mirrors and reflection. The related noun spegel means mirror in Swedish.

See also: spegel, the general term for a mirror; reflektion, the concept of reflection; mirroring in science, culture, and media.