vargtimme

Swedish

FWOTD – 23 May 2021

Alternative forms

• vargtimma

Etymology

Compound of varg (“wolf”) +‎ timme (“hour”). Coined by Ingmar Bergman for the 1968 film Hour of the Wolf.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²varjˌtɪme/

Noun

vargtimme c

1. an hour before dawn during which one is said to be most receptive to nightmares and crises
   • 1984, Johan Asplund, Ett ostämt piano är hemskt, page 51:

     Det har ljusnat utanför, vargtimmen är strax över.

     It has become bright outside, the wolf-hour (hour before dawn) is almost over.

comparable to the witching hour.

Declension

Declension of vargtimme

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	vargtimme	vargtimmes
	definite	vargtimmen	vargtimmens
plural	indefinite	vargtimmar	vargtimmars
	definite	vargtimmarna	vargtimmarnas

Descendants

• → Norwegian Bokmål: vargtime

References

• vargtimme in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)