tilstander

Tilstander is a Norwegian noun meaning condition, state, or status of something or someone. It is used to describe how something presently is or functions, and it can refer to physical, mental, technical, social, or legal conditions. The term is common across fields such as medicine, engineering, sociology, and journalism, as well as in everyday language.

Etymology and form: Tilstander is the plural of tilstand, from til- plus stand, and is used to indicate more than one condition or state. The singular tilstand is used for a single condition.

Usage and contexts: In medicine, tilstand describes a patient’s health, for example pasientens tilstand or kritisk tilstand (critical condition). In technology and engineering, it refers to the state of a device or system, such as systemets tilstand or drifts-tilstand. In ordinary speech, tilstander can describe the state of affairs or conditions in weather, environment, or materials, e.g., tilstandene i landet or tilstand av et produkt.

Grammar and compounds: Tilstander is a count noun and forms plural with -er. Common compounds include tilstandsendring (state change), tilstandsrapport (condition report), and tilstandsbeskrivelse (description of condition). Adjectives commonly modify tilstander, such as stabil tilstand or forverret tilstand, depending on context.

See also: In Norwegian, tilstand is closely related to concepts like status and condition, with tilstand tending to emphasize the current state or condition of a thing rather than its broader or hierarchical status.