ändarna

ändarna is the definite plural form of the Swedish noun ending in the word for end or edge. In Swedish, ändar denotes ends or tips of objects, while ändarna refers to “the ends” as a specific group or places where something ends. The term is used in both literal and metaphorical contexts.

In practical use, ändarna describes physical extremities such as the ends of a rope, the ends of a table, or the edges of a road. It is also common in geographical or spatial expressions, for example when talking about the “ends of the country” or the “ends of the world,” where it conveys distance, extremity, or boundary. Metaphorically, ändarna can refer to the farthest points of a process, a period, or a spectrum, as in discussions of beginning and end, beginnings and ends, or contrasting extremes.

Etymologically, the word is rooted in older Germanic languages and is cognate with similar terms in Danish and Norwegian, all drawing from a common Proto-Germanic concept of an end or boundary. The plural form ändarna appears with definite reference to a known set of ends, often clarified by surrounding context.

In usage, ändarna is a neutral, common term appropriate for formal writing, descriptive prose, and everyday speech when the speaker means the physical ends or the figurative outer limits of something. See also end, edge, extremity, and related phrases describing boundaries or termini.