Ämbetsman

Ämbetsman is a Swedish noun meaning a public official, civil servant or officeholder. The term designates a person who holds an ämbete (office) within the public administration and who performs duties or exercises authority on behalf of the government or a public authority. It covers a wide range of roles, including civil servants in ministries and agencies, officials in municipalities, inspectors, clerks, notaries, and other employees who work in the public sector.

Etymology and scope: the word is formed from ämbete, meaning an office or post, plus the suffix -man. Historically it has been used as a generic label for officials who administer public tasks and implement policy or law. The term emphasizes the office rather than a political position.

Usage and style: in contemporary Swedish, ämbetsman is the masculine form of the noun, while the feminine form is uncommon; gender-neutral alternatives such as tjänsteman or statlig tjänsteman are often preferred in everyday language. In formal or legal writing, ämbetsman may still appear when referring to officials collectively or in discussions of public administration, but it is frequently replaced by more neutral terms in modern usage.

See also: ämbete, tjänsteman, myndighet, offentlig förvaltning.