ülemise

Ülemise is the genitive singular form of the Estonian adjective ülemine, which means "upper," "top," or "superior." In Estonian, adjectives decline to agree with the nouns they modify by case and number. The form ülemise is used when the adjective appears in front of a noun in the genitive case, for example in the noun phrase ülemise korruse aken, meaning "the upper floor's window" (the window of the upper floor). This usage is common in architectural, geographical, and descriptive contexts.

Grammatical role and usage: Ülemise is not a standalone lexical item with its own independent meaning; it functions as a declined adjective form within a noun phrase. It typically appears before the noun it modifies and agrees with that noun in case and number. In phrases describing possession or relation, the genitive form of the noun follows the genitive-marked adjective, such as korruse (genitive of korrus, floor) after ülemise.

Etymology and semantic range: The word ülemine comes from a stem meaning "upper" or "above," with the suffix that forms adjectives. It has parallels in other Finnic languages; for example, Finnish uses a related form meaning "upper" (ylempi). Semantically, ülemine covers physical position (upper part or layer) as well as figurative sense (higher status or priority).

Related terms: The counterpart of ülemine is alumine, meaning "lower" or "bottom." Other directional or hierarchical terms in Estonian include keskmine (middle) and kõrgem (higher/greater). Usage patterns align with standard Estonian adjective inflection and noun-phrase construction.