Swedish word of the day: unken
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Unken is the Swedish word for something that smells a bit stale or otherwise unappetising, for example a room which has not been aired out or a bag of food waste which should have been thrown out a few days ago.
It's not clear exactly where the word comes from, although it has existed in Swedish since at least the 1720s, according to the Swedish Academy's dictionary. It appears to have mainly been used to describe stagnant water, stale hay or other crops which have gone mouldy due to water damage.
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It may be related to a Proto-Indo-European word meaning wet or moist, which would explain how it has come to describe something smelling damp, mildewed or stale.
If you are worried that your room smells unket, the best solution is to vädra, or air it out, replacing the old, stale air with fresh, new air. Unless the smell is due to mould or mildew, in which case you've got a larger issue on your hands.
Swedes often consider it important to get rid of unken air, with good air quality believed to be important for health, so don't be surprised if you see your Swedish friends or family airing out their homes and letting new air in even in the depths of winter.
The word unken can also refer to something which is metaphorically stale, like an outdated idea or concept.
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Example sentences:
Hotellet låg mitt i stan vilket var bra, men rummet luktade lite unket.
The hotel was in the middle of town which was good, but the room smelled a bit musty.
Det där är bara en gammal unken tradition.
That's just an old outdated tradition.
Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local's Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local's journalists, is available to order. Head to lysforlag.com/vvv to read more about it. It is also possible to buy your copy from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Bokus or Adlibris.
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