Erivärisellä

Erivärisellä is a Finnish adjective form meaning “with a different color” or “variegated/multicolored.” It is the adessive singular form of erivärinen, which describes something that displays color variation or contrasts in color compared to a reference color. The term is used to characterize objects, surfaces, or patterns that do not have a uniform color.

Etymology and grammar: The word is built from eri (“different”) and väri (“color”) with the diminutive and adjectival suffix -nen, yielding erivärinen “differently colored.” Its inflected form erivärisellä appears when the adjective modifies a noun in the adessive case, for example with a surface described as being “on” or “with” a different color. Finnish adjectives decline to match the noun’s case and number, so erivärinen becomes erivärisellä in the adessive singular.

Usage and nuance: Erivärinen describes color variation rather than a single color. It often appears in descriptions of textiles, natural objects, artwork, or decorative patterns to indicate that the color is not uniform. It can emphasize contrast or variety within a surface or object. In many contexts, synonyms such as kirjava (speckled or variegated) or monivärinen (multicolored) convey similar ideas, though erivärinen places emphasis on the difference from a baseline color.

Examples: Erivärisellä kankaalla on raidallinen kuvio. (There is a striped pattern on the multicolored fabric.) Lehmän turkki voi olla erivärinen, vaikkakin luonnollisesti yksivärinen. (A cow’s coat may be variegated, though naturally it is not a single color.)

See also: Finnish adjectives, väri, kirjava, monivärinen.