övergick

Övergick is a Swedish verb form that functions as the preterite (past tense) of the verb övergå. The base övergå carries the sense of moving from one state, condition, or jurisdiction to another, or of crossing a boundary, whether physical, legal, or figurative. The word is typically used in formal, historical, legal, or analytical writing to describe a transition that has already taken place.

Etymology and meaning

Över- is a productive prefix in Swedish meaning “across, beyond, or further,” combined with gå, meaning “to go.” The combination övergå conveys a transition or shift that goes beyond a threshold. In practice, övergå covers changes such as changes in policy or law, shifts in state of affairs, or the passage of a situation into a new phase. In many contexts, the transition is described as having occurred and being now established.

Usage

Övergick appears in contexts such as legal history, political history, and descriptive prose. Examples include transitions of jurisdiction, changes in regulatory regimes, or the progression of a process from one stage to the next. It is commonly paired with prepositional phrases like till, i, or från to specify the source and target of the transition.

Related terms

The related verbs övergå and övergång are used to describe the process of transitioning or moving across boundaries more generally. Övergick, as the past tense, situates the event firmly in a preceding time frame.

See also: övergå, övergång, övergångsperiod.