nounnounnoun

en last

load

Varor eller saker som transporteras med till exempel en bil, båt eller ett tåg.

Definition & meaning

The Swedish word last has two primary meanings depending on the context:

Cargo or Load: It refers to the goods or weight being transported by a vehicle, such as a truck, ship, or airplane. It can also refer to a physical burden or the weight placed upon a structural element.
Vice or Bad Habit: In a moral or behavioral context, it refers to a recurring bad habit, a moral failing, or a depraved tendency. This is often used to describe things like smoking, gambling, or excessive drinking.

Grammar & Word origin

Last is a common gender noun (utrum), using the article en.

Singular: en last (a load/vice), lasten (the load/vice)
Plural: laster (loads/vices), lasterna (the loads/vices)

The word originates from the Old Norse lest, which is closely related to the verb lasta (to load). It shares the same Germanic roots as the German word Last and the English word last (as in a cobbler's tool or a unit of weight), though the English "load" is the more direct functional translation.