tärna

See also: tarna, tårna, and tarną

Swedish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse þerna (“servant girl, maid”).

brud och tärnor / brudtärnor [bride and bridesmaids] (noun sense 1.1)

en lucia med tärnor [a Lucia / Lucy with maidens] (noun sense 1.2)

Noun

tärna c

1. (archaic, modern use in specific contexts) a girl or young woman, a maiden, especially a handmaiden or maid
   2. a bridesmaid

      Synonym: brudtärna

   4. a girl or (young) woman accompanying the person portraying Saint Lucy (lucia) in a Saint Lucy's Day procession (luciatåg) (in Sweden or countries with similar traditions, following behind before lining up to sing), traditionally wearing a white gown with a red sash and often a wreath or tinsel garland on her head

      Synonym: luciatärna

      Lucia har ofta ett följe av tärnor

      Lucia often has a retinue of maidens

      This sense seems to have developed by extension from the bridesmaid sense. They might not be intended to symbolize attendants.

Declension

Declension of tärna

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	tärna	tärnas
	definite	tärnan	tärnans
plural	indefinite	tärnor	tärnors
	definite	tärnorna	tärnornas

Derived terms

• brudtärna

See also

• bröllop
• lucia
• luciakrona
• luciatåg
• pepparkaksgubbe
• stjärngosse
• tomte

Etymology 2

From Old Norse þerna (“tern”).

tärna (fisktärna) i flykten [tern (common tern [fish tern]) in [the] flight] (sense 1)

Noun

tärna c

2. (zoology) a tern

Declension

Declension of tärna

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	tärna	tärnas
	definite	tärnan	tärnans
plural	indefinite	tärnor	tärnors
	definite	tärnorna	tärnornas

Derived terms

• fisktärna (“common tern”)
• silvertärna (“Arctic tern”)
• skräntärna (“Caspian tern”)

Etymology 3

tärning (“dice”) +‎ -a

Verb

tärna (present tärnar, preterite tärnade, supine tärnat, imperative tärna)

1. (cooking) to dice (cut into (small) cubes, usually of food)

   Tärna potatisen

   Dice the potatoes

   tärnade morötter

   diced carrots

Declension

Conjugation of tärna (weak)

	active		passive
infinitive	tärna		tärnas
supine	tärnat		tärnats
imperative	tärna		—
imper. plural1	tärnen		—
	present	past	present	past
indicative	tärnar	tärnade	tärnas	tärnades
ind. plural1	tärna	tärnade	tärnas	tärnades
subjunctive2	tärne	tärnade	tärnes	tärnades
present participle		tärnande
past participle		tärnad

¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

References

• “tärna”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “tärna”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “tärna”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)

Anagrams

• ränta, träna, ärtan