Isendeid

Isendeid is a noun in the Estonian language that denotes a group of beings or entities. It is the plural form used in contexts where the speaker or writer refers to living beings in a general or abstract sense. The singular form is isend. In common usage, Estonian speakers more often use olendid to mean living creatures; isendeid appears mainly in scholarly writing, philosophical discourse, mythological analyses, or literary works.

The term isendeid is often employed when discussing ontology, metaphysics, or theories of agency, where the emphasis is on the category of being rather than on a specific species. Its use can carry a slightly formal or archaic tone, and it may be used to refer to humans and non-human beings alike depending on the argument.

In dictionaries, isendeid is described as a literary or technical term rather than everyday vocabulary. Its frequency in modern Estonian is limited, and readers may encounter it primarily in translations of philosophical texts or in historical corpora of Estonian literature.

Notes: The etymology of isendeid is treated in dictionaries as a plural of isend with the standard Estonian plural suffix -eid. See also olend.