løk

See also: Appendix:Variations of "lok"

Norwegian Bokmål

Yellow onions.

Alternative forms

• lauk (superseded in 2005; onion and bulb senses)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /løːk/, [løːk]
• Rhymes: -øːk
• Hyphenation: løk

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Norse laukr (“leek, garlic”), from Proto-Norse ᛚᚨᚢᚲᚨᛉ (laukaʀ, “leek”), from Proto-Germanic *laukaz (“leek, onion”). The further origin is uncertain; a connection with *lūkaną (“to close”), referring to the enclosing leaves, has been proposed.

Compare Old Norse laukr (“leek, onion, garlic”), Norwegian Nynorsk lauk, Swedish lök, Icelandic laukur (“onion”), Dutch look (“garlic”), German Lauch and English leek.

Noun

løk m (definite singular løken, indefinite plural løker, definite plural løkene)

1. onion; an edible bulb used as a vegetable or seasoning, especially that of Allium cepa, or the plant producing it.

   Synonyms: kepaløk, hageløk

   Hun skar en løk i tynne skiver. ― She cut an onion into thin slices.

   • 2013, Trine Sandberg, Trines mat, page 232:

     fres løken i litt olje, til den blir blank og myk

     sauté the onion in a little oil until it becomes glossy and soft

   • 2016, Marie Aubert, Kan jeg bli med deg hjem, page 109:

     hun hakket løk og gulrøtter til middag

     she chopped onion and carrots for dinner

2. (botany) bulb; an underground storage organ consisting of a short stem surrounded by fleshy leaves.

   Vi plantet løker av tulipan og påskelilje om høsten. ― We planted tulip and daffodil bulbs in the autumn.

   • 2024 November 25, Beatrice Helgheim, “løk – bred jordstengel”, in Store norske leksikon‎^[6]:

     Nye løker, sideløker, utvikles fra hjørnet av løkskjellene.

     New bulbs, daughter bulbs, develop in the axils of the bulb scales.

3. (botany) allium; a plant of the genus Allium, which includes onions, garlic and leeks; also the genus collectively.

   Hvitløk og purre er arter av løk. ― Garlic and leeks are species of allium.

   • 2026 August 4, Charlotte Sletten Bjorå, “løk – planteslekt”, in Store norske leksikon‎^[7]:

     Løk er en slekt i påskeliljefamilien.

     Allium is a genus in the amaryllis family.

4. (figurative, in compounds) bulb, bud; something resembling an onion in shape or smell.

   Kirken har en gyllen løkkuppel. ― The church has a golden onion dome.

   • 1977, Nils Morten Udgaard, Sovjet-Unionen, page 26:

     de bysantiske tradisjoner lever videre under løkkuplene i dagens Kreml

     the Byzantine traditions live on beneath the onion domes of today's Kremlin

5. (humorous, in the definite singular) head.

   Synonym: hode

   Han fikk en ball i løken. ― He was hit on the head by a ball.

   • 1995, Jon Ewo, Jeg var 16 da jeg forstod hva en mann må gjøre, page 83:

     jeg var passe rød i løken […]

     I was quite red in the face […]

6. (colloquial, derogatory) fool, idiot.

   Ikke vær en løk! ― Don't be a fool!

   din løk! — you fool!

   • 1998 January 9, Magnus Nome, “Rosa herlighet”, in Dagbladet‎^[8]:

     Løp og kjøp eller vær løk.

     Run out and buy it, or be a fool.

Derived terms

• blomsterløk (“flower bulb”)
• gressløk (“chives”)
• hvitløk (“garlic”)
• hårløk (“hair bulb”)
• kepaløk (“onion”)
• luftløk (“tree onion”)
• løkkake (“basal plate of a bulb”)
• løkkuppel (“onion dome”)
• løklukt (“onion smell”)
• løkplante (“bulbous plant”)
• løkring (“onion ring”)
• løksaus (“onion sauce”)
• løkskjell (“bulb scale”)
• løksmak (“onion flavour”)
• løksuppe (“onion soup”)
• løkurt (“garlic mustard”)
• pipeløk (“Welsh onion”)
• purreløk (“leek”)
• ramsløk (“ramsons”)
• rødløk (“red onion”)
• sjalottløk (“shallot”)
• smaksløk (“taste bud”)
• strandløk (“crow garlic”)
• vårløk (“spring onion”)

Etymology 2

A calm pool in the Collie River, Western Australia.

Inherited from Old Norse lœkr (“brook, rivulet”), from Proto-Germanic *lōkiz (“brook, stream”), a noun formed from Proto-Germanic *lekaną (“to leak”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leg- (“to leak”).

Cognate with Icelandic lækur and Faroese løkur (“brook, stream”); more distantly related to Welsh llaith (“wet, moist”), Armenian լիճ (lič, “lake”) and English leak.

Noun

løk m (definite singular løken, indefinite plural løker, definite plural løkene)

1. (dialectal) brook, stream; a deep stream with a slow current.

   Bak gården renner en dyp løk. ― A deep, slow-flowing stream runs behind the farm.

   • [2010 January 13, Kristian Hunskaar, Ola Alsvik, “Løkebrudalen”, in Lokalhistoriewiki‎^[9]:

     En løk er en dyp og stillerennende bekk, men også en utvidelse eller ei vik i en bekk.

     A løk is a deep, slow-flowing brook, but also a widening or an inlet in a brook.

     Reproduced from Lørenskog leksikon (2008).]

2. backwater, inlet; a widening or bay in a river.

   Synonym: lon

   Vi padlet inn i en stille løk i elva. ― We paddled into a quiet backwater in the river.

   • 1909, Sigrid Undset, Fortællingen om Viga-Ljot og Vigdis, page 97:

     [åen vider] sig ud til en løk

     [the river widens] into a backwater

   • 1919, Kristian Elster d.y., Av Skyggernes Slegt, page 269:

     [elven] bugtet sig i løker

     [the river] wound through broad pools

   • 2020, Kjentmannsmerket 2020–23:

     løkene er lekre kanovann, men elveløpene imellom er mer enn krevende

     the broad pools are lovely for canoeing, but the river channels between them are more than challenging

Etymology 3

Origin uncertain.

Noun

løk m (indefinite plural løk)

1. (slang) grand; a sum of one thousand Norwegian kroner.

   Den brukte sykkelen kostet fem løk. ― The second-hand bicycle cost five grand (5,000 Norwegian kroner).

   • 2023 August 3, ///M-ini95, “N47 motoren (Registerhavari)”, in Bimmers.no‎^[10]:

     Finnes folk som leverer overhalte bytteturbo slik at du ikke trenger å kjøpe en ny fra BMW for 20 løk.

     There are people who supply reconditioned replacement turbos so that you do not have to buy a new one from BMW for twenty grand.

   • 2026 June 7, Redaksjonen, Audun Vinger, Jon Hagene, “Hver dag er musikkens dag”, in Tidens ånd‎^[11]:

     Hundre løk som kommer godt med.

     A hundred grand that comes in handy.

     Referring to a monetary prize donated to a music venue.

Usage notes

• In monetary amounts, løk is used unchanged after numerals.

References

• “løk” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “løk” in Store norske leksikon

Anagrams

• klø, køl

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /løːk/

Noun

løk m (definite singular løken, indefinite plural løkar, definite plural løkane)

1. alternative form of lauk

Derived terms

• purreløk
• vårløk

References

• “løk” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.