klen

See also: Klen, kleń, kleň, and Kleň

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• klein (more common form)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Low German kleine (“thin, fine”), klêne (“thin, fine”), from Old Saxon klēni (“fine, delicate”), from Proto-Germanic *klainiz (“clear, pure; fine, small”). Same word as klein (“sick, unwell; poor, bad; awkward, embarrassing”).

Compare Norwegian Nynorsk klen, klein, Swedish klen, Icelandic klénn, German klein, Dutch klein and English clean.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kleːn/
• Rhymes: -eːn
• Hyphenation: klen

Adjective

klen (neuter singular klent, definite singular and plural klene, comparative klenere, indefinite superlative klenest, definite superlative kleneste)

1. (dialectal) alternative form of klein (“sick, unwell; poor, bad; awkward, embarrassing”)

   Er du klen? ― Are you unwell?

   • 1904, Jacob B. Bull, Folkelivsbilleder I, page 402:

     er du klen?

     are you unwell?

   • 1904, Jacob B. Bull, Folkelivsbilleder I, page 396:

     [jeg ser] saa klent

     [I see] so poorly

References

• “klen” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “klen” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Anagrams

• lenk

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /klên/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *klenъ.

Noun

klȅn m inan (Cyrillic spelling кле̏н)

1. field maple (Acer campestre)

Declension

Štokavian:

Declension of klen

	singular	plural
nominative	klȅn	klènovi
genitive	klèna	klénōvā
dative	klènu	klènovima
accusative	klȅn	klènove
vocative	klȅne	klènovi
locative	klènu	klènovima
instrumental	klènom	klènovima

Čakavian:

klȅn, klenȁ

Alternative forms

• klènovina
• kljȅn, klȅnj, klȉjen (dialectal, nonstandard)

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *klenь.

Noun

klȅn m anim (Cyrillic spelling кле̏н)

1. European chub (Leuciscus cephalus)

Declension

Declension of klen

	singular	plural
nominative	klȅn	klènovi
genitive	klèna	klénōvā
dative	klènu	klènovima
accusative	klȅna	klènove
vocative	klȅne	klènovi
locative	klènu	klènovima
instrumental	klènom	klènovima

Alternative forms

• klijȇn (dialectal, nonstandard)

Slovene

Etymology 1

From Proto-Slavic *klenъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /klɛ̀n/

Noun

klèn m inan

1. (archaic) field maple (Acer campestre) (now: maklèn)

Declension

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.

Masculine inan., hard o-stem
nom. sing.	klèn
gen. sing.	kléna
	singular	dual	plural
nominative (imenovȃlnik)	klèn	kléna	kléni
genitive (rodȋlnik)	kléna	klénov	klénov
dative (dajȃlnik)	klénu	klénoma	klénom
accusative (tožȋlnik)	klèn	kléna	kléne
locative (mẹ̑stnik)	klénu	klénih	klénih
instrumental (orọ̑dnik)	klénom	klénoma	kléni

Alternative forms

• klán

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *klenь. First attested in the 19th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /klèn/

Noun

klẹ̀n m inan

1. European chub (Leuciscus cephalus)

Declension

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.

Masculine inan., hard o-stem
nom. sing.	klẹ̀n
gen. sing.	klẹ́na
	singular	dual	plural
nominative (imenovȃlnik)	klẹ̀n	klẹ́na	klẹ́ni
genitive (rodȋlnik)	klẹ́na	klẹ́nov	klẹ́nov
dative (dajȃlnik)	klẹ́nu	klẹ́noma	klẹ́nom
accusative (tožȋlnik)	klẹ̀n	klẹ́na	klẹ́ne
locative (mẹ̑stnik)	klẹ́nu	klẹ́nih	klẹ́nih
instrumental (orọ̑dnik)	klẹ́nom	klẹ́noma	klẹ́ni

Alternative forms

• klìn

Etymology 3

Clipping of jeklẹ̑n (“of steel”). See jeklo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kléːn/

Adjective

klẹ̑n (comparative bȍlj klẹ̑n, superlative nȁjbolj klẹ̑n)

1. solid, firm, robust, pithy

Declension

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.

Hard
	masculine	feminine	neuter
nom. sing.	klẹ̑n	klẹ̑na	klẹ̑no
singular
	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	klẹ̑n ind klẹ̑ni def	klẹ̑na	klẹ̑no
genitive	klẹ̑nega	klẹ̑ne	klẹ̑nega
dative	klẹ̑nemu	klẹ̑ni	klẹ̑nemu
accusative	nominativeinan or genitiveanim	klẹ̑no	klẹ̑no
locative	klẹ̑nem	klẹ̑ni	klẹ̑nem
instrumental	klẹ̑nim	klẹ̑no	klẹ̑nim
dual
	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	klẹ̑na	klẹ̑ni	klẹ̑ni
genitive	klẹ̑nih	klẹ̑nih	klẹ̑nih
dative	klẹ̑nima	klẹ̑nima	klẹ̑nima
accusative	klẹ̑na	klẹ̑ni	klẹ̑ni
locative	klẹ̑nih	klẹ̑nih	klẹ̑nih
instrumental	klẹ̑nima	klẹ̑nima	klẹ̑nima
plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	klẹ̑ni	klẹ̑ne	klẹ̑na
genitive	klẹ̑nih	klẹ̑nih	klẹ̑nih
dative	klẹ̑nim	klẹ̑nim	klẹ̑nim
accusative	klẹ̑ne	klẹ̑ne	klẹ̑na
locative	klẹ̑nih	klẹ̑nih	klẹ̑nih
instrumental	klẹ̑nimi	klẹ̑nimi	klẹ̑nimi

Further reading

• “klen”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran
• “klen”, in Termania, Amebis
• See also the general references

Swedish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Swedish klen, from Old Norse klénn, from Middle Low German klên, klêne, from Old Saxon klēni, from Proto-Germanic *klainiz (“clear, pure”), from Proto-Indo-European *g(e)lēi- (“gleaming”), from *gel- (“to gleam”). Doublet of klenod and klenät.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

klen (comparative klenare, superlative klenast)

1. weak (see the usage notes below)

   Near-synonym: svag

   Om man inte kan lyfta tunga grejer är man klen

   If you can't lift heavy stuff, you're weak

   klena armar

   weak arms

   klena väggar

   weak walls

   en klen motor

   a weak engine

   Jag kände mig lite klen

   I felt a little weak

   en klen tröst

   little comfort

   (literally, “a weak comfort”)

   ett klent resultat

   a weak result

   klena bevis

   flimsy evidence

   See the usage notes below.

Usage notes

Has connotations of being weak due to being thin or puny or the like, giving a weak impression. "Klena armar" would often imply relatively thin, non-muscular arms as well.

Declension

Inflection of klen

Indefinite	positive	comparative	superlative1
common singular	klen	klenare	klenast
neuter singular	klent	klenare	klenast
plural	klena	klenare	klenast
masculine plural2	klene	klenare	klenast
Definite	positive	comparative	superlative
masculine singular3	klene	klenare	klenaste
all	klena	klenare	klenaste

¹ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
² Dated or archaic.
³ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

Derived terms

• förklena
• hjärtklen
• klenhet
• klenmod
• klenmodig
• klensmed
• klensmide
• klenspänning
• klentro
• klentrogen
• klenvirke
• klenvuxen
• nervklen

References

• “klen”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “klen”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “klen”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• klen in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)