Elinkykyinen

Elinkykyinen is a Finnish neologism that lacks a fixed, widely accepted definition in standard Finnish. The form is composed of elin- ('life, organism') and kykyinen ('able, capable of'), yielding a sense of 'life-capable' or 'life-sustaining' in hypothetical usage. Because it is not a common dictionary entry, its meaning is determined by context and author usage.

In speculative literature, philosophy of biology, and some technical discourses, elinkykyinen may describe a system, process, or being that can maintain, regenerate, or otherwise support life under challenging conditions; it can refer to life-bearing properties or the capacity for life to persist. For example, an elinkykyinen järjestelmä could denote a device or ecosystem capable of sustaining biological activity when resources are scarce. In discussions of artificial life, the term might be used to frame criteria for life-like agency or resilience.

Notes on status: Because elinkykyinen is not standardized, precise interpretation should be supplied by the author in any text. The term’s ambiguity is typical for neologisms in emerging interdisciplinary contexts.

See also: biocompatibility, life-support systems, autopoiesis, life-bearing criteria.