småningom

Swedish

Etymology

First attested in 1587, an adverb with the looks of a dative plural (-om ending), based on små (“small”), possibly based on Old Swedish adverb smam (dative plural of små) after the m shifted into an n; same as Norwegian småningom.

The separation into småning om is very rare, and probably unhistoric. This is not the preposition om, but a dative ending.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsmɔːnɪŋˌɔm/

Adverb

småningom (not comparable)

1. after some time; sooner or later, eventually

   Dessa stammar visade stor mottaglighet för den romerska kulturen och utbytte småningom sina egna idiom mot "lingua romana".

   These tribes showed great receptiveness for the Roman culture and eventually exchanged their own languages for "lingua romana".

Related terms

• så småningom

References

• småningom in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

Further reading

• småningom in Svensk ordbok.