Demokraatlikule

Demokraatlikule is an inflected form of the Estonian adjective demokraatlik, meaning “democratic.” In Estonian, adjectives decline to agree with the noun they modify in number and case. The ending -ule marks the allative (often functioning as a dative in practice) singular form, used when the modified noun is in the allative/dative position and typically after a preposition or in constructions indicating direction toward or for something. Therefore, demokraatlikule appears when describing a noun in that case, rather than in the nominative form.

Etymology and form: demokraatlik comes from the noun democracy (demokraatia) combined with the adjectival suffix -lik, yielding “democratic.” The -ule ending is one of the Estonian adjective endings used for the allative/dative singular, and it is not a standalone word; it always accompanies a noun in a phrase such as demokraatlikule riigile or demokraatlikule organisatsioonile.

Usage: The form is common in formal or written Estonian, especially in contexts involving direction toward or for a country, organization, institution, or other target nouns. Examples include demokraatlikule riigile (to a democratic state), demokraatlikule organisatsioonile (to a democratic organization), or demokraatlikule valitsusele (to a democratic government). The precise case function depends on the syntactic role of the noun it modifies.

Related terms: Other Estonian adjectives share similar inflection patterns, for example liberaalile or õrnale, where the -le/ -ule ending denotes the allative/dative singular. The base adjective demokraatlik also forms the noun demokraatia (democracy) and the abstract noun demokraatlikkus (democracy-like quality).

See also: demokraatia, demokraatlikkus, Estonian adjective declension.