värna

Värna is a Swedish verb meaning to protect, defend, or safeguard someone or something valuable. The sense covers both physical protection and the preservation of rights, values, traditions, or the environment, as well as care for people. The verb is transitive and can take a direct object, or be used with the idiom värna om, meaning to cherish or safeguard.

In usage, värna is common in political, social, and cultural contexts, but it also appears in everyday language. Typical constructions include värna om followed by what is being protected or cherished, for example: Vi måste värna om demokratin. Vi värnar om miljön. Det handlar om att värna om barns framtid. The term often conveys a moral commitment or long-term protection rather than mere physical safeguarding.

Etymology and related terms: värna is linked to the noun värn, meaning defense or protection. The pair forms a semantic continuum around safeguarding and defense. Related verbs include skydda (to protect, often more physical or immediate) and bevara (to preserve), while försvara (to defend, especially in a dispute or contest). Värna om is a particularly common idiom in formal and semi-formal discourse, emphasizing care and protection extended to values, rights, or resources rather than objects alone.

In sum, värna denotes a proactive stance to protect and preserve what is valuable, with a strong association to ethics, rights, and collective welfare.