jente

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Derived from Old Norse genta, from gant (“joke, foolery”), cognate with Swedish jänta.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /²jɛntə/

Noun

jente f or m (definite singular jenta or jenten, indefinite plural jenter, definite plural jentene)

1. girl; young woman
2. hired girl, housemaid
3. girlfriend, sweetheart

   Synonym: kjæreste

   Hvem er jenta der borte?

   Who's that girl over there?

   Der kommer ei lita jente.

   A little girl is coming.

   jenta mi ― my darling; sweetie; dear (literally: my girl; more literally: the girl my))

Usage notes

• One of the nouns whose feminine form is predominant in formal writing (unlike pike).

Synonyms

• pike

Derived terms

• fly etter jentene
• jenteaktig
• jentunge
• skolejente
• småjente

 

References

• “jente” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• gjenta, gjente (alternative spellings)
• ginte (dialectal)

Etymology

From Old Norse genta, from gant (“joke, foolery”), cognate with Faroese and Icelandic genta and Swedish jänta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²jɛntə/

Noun

jente f (definite singular jenta, indefinite plural jenter, definite plural jentene)

1. girl

   Synonym: veikje

2. (in some contexts) A (young) woman
3. (obsolete) hired girl, housemaid

   Synonyms: tenestepike, stovepike, hushalderske, husjomfru

4. girlfriend, sweetheart

   Synonyms: kjærast, kjæraste

Derived terms

• fly etter jentene
• jenteaktig
• jentunge
• skolejente
• skulejente
• småjente

 

References

• “jente” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.