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tankespredt

English translation: absent-minded

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Danish term or phrase:tankespredt
English translation:absent-minded
Entered by: Timoshka

00:12 Jun 20, 2009
Danish to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Danish term or phrase: tankespredt
A writer described one of his early teachers as "en meget laerd mand, ja, muligvis et geni, men temmelig kejtet og tankespredt og til tider noget vranten og pedantisk." I'm unsure of the precise meaning of "tankespredt" (since I can't find it in any Danish dictionary I've checked), but I've tentatively translated the sentence as: "...a very learned man, indeed possibly a genius, but somewhat awkward and [scatterbrained/forgetful??????] and sometimes a bit surly and pedantic."
Timoshka
Local time: 13:14
absent-minded
Explanation:
I think that will be the correct description of someone who has his thought processes on less mundane things.
Selected response from:

Anne Parelius
Canada
Local time: 15:14
Grading comment
Mange tak!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +4absent-minded
Anne Parelius
Summary of reference entries provided
Ordbog over det danske sprog
Mette Melchior

  

Answers


36 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
absent-minded


Explanation:
I think that will be the correct description of someone who has his thought processes on less mundane things.

Anne Parelius
Canada
Local time: 15:14
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in NorwegianNorwegian
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Mange tak!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Mette Melchior: Yes, the meaning is being absent-minded, inattentive or distracted.
6 hrs
agree  Malberg
9 hrs
agree  Christine Andersen: with his mind on other things, unconcentrated - in short, absent-minded.
16 hrs
agree  Michael Davies: ja, det lyder rigtigt!
2 days 7 hrs
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Reference comments


7 hrs
Reference: Ordbog over det danske sprog

Reference information:
The word appears in "Ordbog over det danske sprog", which covers Danish from 1700 to 1950 and is available online. You can see the entry here: http://ordnet.dk/ods/opslag?id=571132&liste=alfa

There isn't much of an explanation in this particular entry, but the dictionary gives "distræt" and "adspredt" as synonyms. So literally, someone with "scattered thoughts" ;-)

(This dictionary is also included on the language portal sproget.dk, where you can search several Danish dictionaries simultaneously)


    Reference: http://ordnet.dk/ods/
    Reference: http://sproget.dk/
Mette Melchior
Sweden
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in DanishDanish
PRO pts in category: 8
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