Indeksinä

Indeksinä is the essive form of the Finnish noun indeksi, meaning “as an index.” In Finnish grammar, the essive case, marked with the suffix -na/-nä, expresses a temporary state, role, or function. Thus indeksinä denotes that something is being used or regarded in the role of an index rather than permanently becoming one.

Formation and use: The base indeksi takes the essive suffix to form indeksinä. This form is used in contexts where a person, object, or concept is described as serving or functioning as an index at a given time. It is distinct from the translative form indeksiksi, which would indicate a change into an index or a transformation into that role.

Examples:

- Tätä listaa käytetään indeksinä tiedonhaussa. (This list is used as an index in information retrieval.)

- Hän toimi indeksinä tutkimuksessa. (He acted as an index in the study.)

- Taulukon avaimet voivat olla indeksinä monimutkaisessa hakulausekkeessa. (The table’s keys can serve as an index in a complex search clause.)

Usage notes: Indeksinä is common in technical or analytical writing where a component is explicitly described as fulfilling the function of an index. It is one of several essive forms that Finnish uses to express temporary roles or states, alongside other everyday examples like opettajana (as a teacher) or avaimena (as a key). When a change into the role is intended, the translative indeksiksi may be used, meaning “into an index.”

Etymology: Indeksi derives from Latin index, a term widely used in mathematics, statistics, and information retrieval, with Finnish adopting it as a loanword.