tjärn

From Old Norse tjǫrn. Cognate with English tarn.

• IPA^(key): /ɕɛːɳ/

tjärn c

1. a small forest lake, a forest pond

Whether a particular small forest lake is called a sjö (“lake”) or a tjärn is often a matter of tradition, especially if either "sjö" or "tjärn" appears in the name of the lake. Tjärn is a bit more loaded in the sense that you would call a small forest lake a tjärn if you wanted to evoke a mystical forest atmosphere, but is also used neutrally.

• göl

• tjärn in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• tjärn in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• tjärn in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)