tøye

Tøye is a Norwegian verb meaning to stretch or extend. It is used for both physical stretching—such as muscles, tendons, or ligaments—and for figurative extension of time, space, or capacity. In everyday language, people say unoften “tøye seg” to indicate stretching the body, and the noun “tøyning” refers to the act or result of stretching, commonly in exercise or biomechanics.

Etymology and cognates: The word is of Germanic origin and has cognates in other Scandinavian languages, such as Danish tøje and Swedish töja, with related meanings tied to extending or pulling.

Usage notes: In physical contexts, tøye is typically used with body parts (for example, “jeg tøyer skuldrene” or “vi tøyer beina”). In figurative use, it can describe pushing limits, resources, or schedules (for example, “å tøye grensen” or “å tøye rimeligheten” depending on context). In many cases other verbs such as utvide (to widen) or strekke (to stretch) may be preferred for more formal or specific senses.

Grammar: Tøye behaves as a regular Norwegian verb in Bokmål conjugation, with standard agreement in tense and mood. It also appears in reflexive form as “tøye seg” when the subject is performing the action on itself.

Examples:

- Jeg tøyer skuldrene før treningen.

- Hun tøyer seg hver morgen.

- Bedriften prøver å tøye grensen for hva som er mulig med ny teknologi.

See also: tøyning, strekke, grenseutvidelse.