Elintoiminnoiltaan

Elintoiminnoiltaan is a Finnish phrase used in biology and medicine to describe something from the perspective of physiological functions. It means “in terms of the organism’s vital functions” and is used to characterize an organism, a process, or a condition by how its bodily functions operate, rather than by anatomy, genetics, or behavior. The expression is commonly found in scientific Finnish and is used in contexts such as comparative physiology, pathology, and veterinary science to emphasize functional state.

Formation and nuance: The term is built on elintoiminto (life or physiological function) with the suffix -iltaan, which yields an evaluative sense of “in terms of” or “by.” It is typically combined with adjectives or participles to form phrases such as elintoiminnoiltaan terve (healthy in terms of physiological functions) or elintoiminnoiltaan vaka (stable in terms of physiological functioning). The construction highlights the functional status rather than the mere presence of organs or tissues. It is often used alongside other descriptors like rakenteeltaan (in terms of structure) or geneettisesti (genetically) to contrast different bases of description.

Usage and examples: In academic texts, researchers may assess specimens elintoiminnoiltaan terveiksi or elintoiminnoiltaan poikkeaviksi, indicating health or deviation based on vital processes. The phrase supports discussions that separate functional considerations from purely anatomical or genetic ones.

See also: elintoiminnot, fysiologia, biologia, terveys.