udgående

Udgående is a Danish adjective formed with the prefix ud- meaning outward and the present participle gående of gå, literally “going outward.” The term denotes something that moves outward or is sent out from a source. In practical use it is common in business, logistics and information flows to describe items or communications that originate within an organization and are directed to external recipients.

In practice, udgående describes items or messages that leave a system. Examples include udgående post (outgoing mail), udgående faktura (outgoing invoice) and udgående besked or udgående e-mail (outgoing message or email). It can also refer to channels, processes or signals that depart from a source, such as udgående kommunikation or udgående data.

When describing people, the sense of udgående as “outgoing” is less standard. The standard Danish term for an extroverted or sociable person is udadvendt. Therefore, using udgående to describe a person is typically considered archaic, regional, or stylistically marked and is rare in formal writing.

Etymology and related forms: ud- + gående, from gå, “to go.” The opposite form is indgående or indkommende, used for incoming or inbound items or communications.

See also: indgående, udgående post, udgående kommunikation.