styggelse

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish styggilse, equivalent to styggas +‎ -else. First attested in the early 15th century.

Noun

styggelse c

1. an abomination
   • 1917, 1773 års bibelkommission [The Swedish Bible Commission of 1773], “Tredje Moseboken [Leviticus] 18:22”, in 1917 års kyrkobibel‎^[1], © Svenska Bibelsällskapet, accessed at Bible.com, archived from the original on 15 May 2026:

     Du skall icke ligga hos en man såsom man ligger hos en kvinna; det är en styggelse.

     You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.

   • 2017 March 8, Sveriges Radio, “Mary-Jane föddes i fel kropp [Mary-Jane was born in the wrong body]”, in P4 Sörmland‎^[2], archived from the original on 21 June 2026:

     – Man känner sig som en styggelse nästan. Något som samhället vill bli av med, berättar Mary-Jane.

     "You almost feel like an abomination. Something that society wants to get rid of," says Mary-Jane.

Usage notes

Somewhat literary.

Declension

Declension of styggelse

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	styggelse	styggelses
	definite	styggelsen	styggelsens
plural	indefinite	styggelser	styggelsers
	definite	styggelserna	styggelsernas

References

• “styggelse”, in Svenska Akademiens ordböcker [Dictionaries of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• styggelse in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)