återfådd

återfådd is a Swedish adjective formed from the verb återfå, meaning to regain possession of something that has been lost or taken. As a past participle, återfådd describes items, rights, or status that have been recovered and returned to their rightful holder. The usage is primarily found in formal, historical, or legal contexts; in everyday speech people are more likely to say phrases like getting something back. The term can appear attributively, as in återfådd egendom (property that has been regained), or predicatively, as in Egendom är återfådd.

Etymology and form: the word combines åter- ('again' or 'back') with få ('to obtain/receive'), with a participial ending that marks it as a completed state. Because Swedish has multiple ways to express recovery, återfådd tends to appear in written or official language and is less common in casual conversation than alternatives such as fått tillbaka or återvunnen, depending on nuance.

Usage notes: återfådd is often associated with restitution, reclamation, or restoration after loss, confiscation, expropriation, or theft. In legal or administrative texts, it signals that possession or rights have been legally or formally restored to the rightful owner.

Distinctions: the similar word å terfödd means reincarnated and refers to a different concept entirely, derived from the root född, “born.” Although both share the prefix åter-, they are not interchangeable.

See also: återfå, återfådd in legal/formal usage, återföd (note: distinct term for reincarnation).

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