ærmen

ärmen is a noun in Swedish meaning the sleeve of a garment. It denotes the part of a shirt, coat, or other upper-body garment that covers the arm. The word is used in everyday clothing descriptions as well as in medical or fashion contexts. The definite singular form armen is used when referring to a specific sleeve, for example “Den blå ärmen är för kort” (The blue sleeve is too short).

Etymology and related forms: The Swedish noun ärm belongs to the Germanic family of words for clothing and limbs. It has cognates in other North Germanic languages, such as Danish ærme and Norwegian erm, with similar meanings referring to the sleeve. The definite singular form armen (or closely related variants) marks a specific sleeve.

Grammar and usage: Indefinite singular is ärm (a sleeve). Plural is ärmar (sleeves). Definite plural is ärmarna (the sleeves). The possessive form is ärmens (the sleeve’s). In sentences, is often combined with adjectives and prepositions, as in “ärmen är kvarglömd i tvätten” or “upp med ärmen.” The term primarily appears in clothing-related language, but can also appear in descriptions of costumes, tailoring, and anatomy when discussing sleeves as garment parts.

Cross-linguistic notes: In Danish, the corresponding word is ærme, with definite form ærmen; in Norwegian, similar terms exist in the same family. While meanings align, exact spellings and inflection can vary between languages.

See also: arm (body part) in related languages; clothing terminology in North Germanic tongues.