svikte

Svikte is a Norwegian verb that means to fail, to betray, or to let someone down. It can describe failing to meet obligations or expectations, betraying someone’s trust, or a system or mechanism that does not work as it should. The sense depends on the context, so svikte can refer to personal commitments as well as technical faults.

Etymology and usage notes: the verb is derived from Old Norse svíkta, related to Icelandic svíkja and the noun svik meaning betrayal. Over time the meaning broadened to include general failure or lapse in performance, both in human actions and in nonhuman processes.

Typical use: in interpersonal contexts, svikte often conveys letting someone down or breaking a promise. In technical or everyday contexts, it can mean that equipment or services failed or malfunctioned. Examples include sentences like someone sviktet på et løfte or strømmen sviktet.

Conjugation (base form å svikte): present tense svikter; past tense sviktet; perfect participle har sviktet; imperative svikt. The form patterns may vary slightly with regional usage, but these are the common standard forms in contemporary Norwegian.

Related terms: svik (betrayal or deceit), sviker (one who betrays) and related phrases describing trust, loyalty, and reliability. Svikte is versatile in both personal and formal registers, making it a frequent choice for describing failure in various contexts.