ABSTRACT
From the Old Norse alvara, the Danish Alvor was originally composed of al, “all,” and an adjective meaning “true,” as the German wahr. Its lexical meaning in Danish is an expression of one’s true opinion or sincere feeling. The term is closely associated with open devotion and honest portrayal of one’s convictions and can connote severity or even gravity; but it mainly indicates that one takes a vital matter, issue, or task seriously or with the importance it deserves. Thus it has the secondary meaning of following through on one’s intentions, keeping one’s commitments, making a genuine effort. It also has the tertiary adverbial sense of “really” or “truly,” for example, meaning what one says, or being obvious about one’s views or intentions.1
