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DANISH WORD OF THE DAY

Danish word of the day: Omstridt

We hope you’ll agree this is a word worth knowing.

Published: 4 January 2023 17:17 CET

What is omstridt? 

Omstridt is an adjective meaning something around which there prevails a lot of disagreement or conflict. This could be a topical discussion related to politics, or a physical conflict.

The word is made up of the adverb om, which usually means something similar to “around” or sometimes “again”; and the verb at stride, meaning to fight a battle or be in conflict.

Examples of these two components individually are at lave noget om, meaning to “start something again from the beginning”; and at vende om, which is “to turn around”. The latter is more important in omstridt.

If something is said to stride imod something else, the two sides contradict each other. Det strider imod min moral means “that goes against my morals”.

Two opposing sides can strides against each other: Frankrig og Argentina strides om VM-pokalen (”France and Argentina are battling each other for the World Cup trophy”).

In this last sentence strides and om are next to each other, giving the same effect as the composite word omstridt.

Why do I need to know omstridt?

It’s a word you might commonly see in print, particularly news coverage. This is because it describes something around which there is an ongoing conflict where there are two (or more) clearly defined, opposing camps.

The conflict maybe over an idea or it may also be a physical one, thus omstridt is also used in war reporting.

In the context of a debate, the disagreement or discussion is more likely to be described as omstridt the longer it has gone on for.

Examples

Stort flertal vedtager omstridt ghettoplan

Large parliamentary majority passes divisive ghetto bill

Sydkorea udvider luftforsvarszone i omstridt område

South Korea extends no-fly zone in disputed region

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For members

DANISH WORD OF THE DAY

Danish word of the day: Varmebølge

Here's a Danish word to use when complaining about the hot weather.

Published: 24 June 2024 15:52 CEST
Danish word of the day: Varmebølge

What is varmebølge?

Varmebølge means “heatwave” in Danish.

Varme means “heat” or “warmth”, and bølge means “wave”, so it’s an easy translation. You’ll sometimes hear hedebølge used too, using another Danish word for “heat”. The word varme is the more common of the two, and can be used in situations where you might say either “heat” or “warmth” in English. Hede, on the other hand, implies a more extreme type of heat.

For example, the Danish words for “hot water bottle” and “central heating” both use varme rather than heat (varmedunk and centralvarme or just varmen, respectively) and “hot weather” is varmt vejr but the phrase i kampens hede means “in the heat of the battle”. 

Why do I need to know varmebølge?

While the above terms – varmebølge and hedebølge – are synonyms on first glance, there’s an important difference.

Denmark’s national meteorological agency, DMI, defines a varmebølge as a three-day period on which the average highest temperature is over 25 degrees Celsius.

For a hot spell to qualify as a hedebølge, on the other hand, the average highest temperature for the three days in question must exceed 28 degrees Celsius

People from southern parts of Europe might consider either type of Danish heatwave to feel more like regular summer weather – and perhaps this helps explain why extreme weather in southern regions in recent years, related to climate change, has led to speculation Denmark could become an increasingly popular summer destination for foreign holidaymakers.

The phrases also reveal a little about how Denmark’s climate influences language and the way Danes talk about the weather.

READ ALSO: Five Danish phrases you only hear in summer

While almost everyone gets quickly tired of long spells of cool, wet summer weather – like those seen during most of June 2024 – it also doesn’t take much for Danes to begin longing for more moderate temperatures to return once it heats up.

Anything over around 24-25 degrees Celsius is likely to be considered for meget (“too much”) what I would consider a regulation summer temperature of 26 degrees might be described as denne forfærdelige varme (“this dreadful heat”).

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