stärk

Stærk is a Danish adjective meaning "strong" or "powerful." It describes physical strength, durability, or the intensity of non-physical qualities such as flavor, an argument, or a personality. The word is common in everyday Danish in both literal and figurative senses. The corresponding adverb is stærkt, used to describe how something is done, for example, "han løb stærkt" (he ran strongly).

Stærk comes from Old Danish sterk or stærk and is part of a family of North Germanic cognates, including Norwegian sterk and Swedish stark. The ultimate source is Proto-Germanic, typically reconstructed as *sturkaz or *styrkaz, with related forms appearing in other Germanic languages. The Danish form has preserved the vowel and consonant pattern of its early forms and aligns with its Nordic neighbours.

In modern Danish, adjectives inflect for gender and number. Before a common-gender singular noun it is "stærk," before a neuter singular noun "stærkt," and in plural forms "stærke." Examples: "en stærk mand," "et stærkt hus," "de stærke mænd." In definite phrases the forms are "den stærke mand," "det stærke hus," "de stærke mænd." The adverb is "stærkt": "han løb stærkt." Stærk is widely used across contexts, from physical descriptions to metaphorical language such as strong arguments or flavors. As with related words in other Germanic languages, it forms a core descriptive term in Danish and appears in many idiomatic expressions.