vänn

Vänn is a historical and dialectal variant of the Swedish noun vän, meaning "friend." In modern standard Swedish, vän is used exclusively; vänn is not part of the contemporary lexicon and is encountered mainly in older texts or in dialectal records.

Etymology: Vän comes from Old Norse vinr, from Proto-Germanic *winiz, linked to other Germanic words for “friend” in English and German. The form vänn attested in some historical sources reflects orthographic practices before standardization of Swedish spelling in the late modern period.

Usage: Vänn is typically documented in historical writings or regional dialect descriptions; it does not carry a separate meaning beyond that of vän. Contemporary writers generally replace it with vän, except when quoting or studying historical forms. The presence of vänn can indicate a text’s age or a specific dialectal background.

See also: vän, Old Norse vinr, Swedish dialects.