Epätarkoitettuun

Epätarkoitettuun is a Finnish grammatical form that serves as the illative singular of the adjective or past participle epätarkoitettu, meaning “not intended” or “unintended.” The illative case in Finnish expresses motion into or toward a target, direction, or outcome, so epätarkoitettuun attaches to a noun or noun phrase to specify “into an unintended target,” “to an unintended use,” or similar meanings.

Etymology and form: epätarkoitettu combines the negating prefix epä- with tarkoitettu (the past passive participle of tarkoittaa, meaning to intend or designate a purpose). The illative suffix -uun (or its allomorphic -uun in this form) signals direction toward the referenced target. Thus epätarkoitettuun is the form used when something is directed at or ends up in an unintended target or purpose.

Usage: Epätarkoitettuun is commonly used in formal or written Finnish to describe outcomes that were not intended. It can relate to messages, actions, or consequences that end up with an unintended recipient, use, or effect. The form is inflected to other cases and numbers in the same way as other adjectives or participles derived from epätarkoitettu.

Examples:

- Viesti päätyi epätarkoitettuun osoitteeseen. (The message ended up at an unintended address.)

- Lähetys kohti epätarkoitettuun tarkoitukseen johti virheeseen. (Sending toward an unintended use led to a mistake.)

Notes: Epätarkoitettuun is a specific illative form; the corresponding forms exist for other cases (e.g., epätarkoitetussa, epätarkoitettuun), reflecting Finnish’s rich case system. The term is primarily used in descriptive linguistic, journalistic, and academic contexts to discuss outcomes or directions that were not intended.