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övervåld. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
övervåld, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
övervåld in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
övervåld you have here. The definition of the word
övervåld will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
övervåld, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Swedish
Etymology
From Old Swedish ivirvald, from Old Norse yfirvald, equivalent to över (“over”) + våld (“violence”). Cognate with Norwegian Bokmål overvold, Danish overvold, Icelandic yfirvald (“authority”), German Obergewalt (“supremacy”).
Noun
övervåld n (uncountable)
- excessive violence (more violence than is necessary)
Polisen har anklagats för bruk av övervåld.- The police has been accused of using excessive violence.
- assault (a physical, violent act towards someone, generally)
sexuellt övervåld- sexual assault
Usage notes
(sense 1) is the most common in contemporary Swedish (likely just from the straightforward interpretation of the word), to the point where (sense 2) risks being misunderstood. Compare övergrepp for (sense 2).
Declension
References