Foreign Word of the Day: Lagom

There are words we need to borrow from other languages.  From Swedish, that word of the day is “lagom”.  “Lagom” is variously translated as “in moderation”, “in balance”, “exactly perfect”, or “suitable”; all pertaining to amount.  Words such as “sufficient” connotes some degree of abstinence, or scarcity, “lagom” carries the connotation of appropriateness, although not necessarily perfection.  “Lagom” is often heard in the context of the Swedish idiom “Lagom är bäst”, which literally translates as “the right amount is best”.  It is better translated as “Enough is as good as a feast”, or as “There is virtue in moderation”.  “Lagom” also exists in Norwegian, in both Bokmål and Nynorsk, although the meaning is slightly different. 

“Lagom” is an archaic, dative plural form of “lag”, meaning “law”.  Here, the “law” is not necessarily a reference to judicial law but common law, or accepted cultural norms.  “Lag” literally, means, “according to law”, although it is better understood to be “according to custom”.  The earliest iteration of the word is from 17^th century texts. 

“Lagom” is most often used as an adverb, as in the sentence, “Han är lagom lång”, “He is just the right height”.  “Lagom” can also be used as an adjective: “Klänningen var lagom för henne”, “The dress was just right for her”.  The adjective form is never inflected. 

“Lagom”, “just enough”, can be compared to idiom, “less is more”, or contrasted to the value of “more is better”.  It reflects their societal value of taking just enough for their portion, so that there is enough for others.  It may be understood as a sustainable alternative to the acquisitive extremes of consumerism: “Why do I need more than two?” “Det är lagom”.  It may be understood as a limiter, in that one is not supposed to overshadow others.  It can be said that this single word, “lagom”, describes the basis of the Swedish national psyche, one of consensus and equality.