Økte

Økte is a Norwegian word that functions as the simple past tense of the verb øke, meaning to increase, raise, or grow. It is used to describe that a quantity, level, or intensity became larger in a past time period. For example: Salget økte i fjor, or Prisen har økt de siste månedene.

Etymology and cognates: The verb øke is descended from Old Norse auk- and has cognates in other Scandinavian languages. In Danish the corresponding verb is øge, and in Swedish öka. These forms share the core meaning of growing or becoming larger.

Usage and forms: In Bokmål Norwegian, the present tense is øker, the past tense is økte, and the past participle is økt. The perfect tense is formed with har økt (has increased). Other related words include økning, meaning an increase or rise. The past tense økte is commonly used in news, reports, and narrative to describe completed increases.

Nuance and context: Økte is used for quantitative growth (numbers, prices, measurements), as well as for more abstract increases (interest, intensity). It is most common in written and formal contexts, though it appears in everyday speech as well.

See also: øke, økning, auke (Nynorsk variant), and related terms for growth and expansion.