Kantajien

Kantajien is the genitive plural form of the Finnish noun kantaja, which translates roughly to "carrier," "bearer," or "holder." Kantajien appears in phrases that refer to something belonging to or carried by multiple carriers or bearers. The term is used across everyday language and specialized registers to describe people or entities that bear responsibility, load, or a substance.

Etymology and form: Kantaja derives from the root kanta- meaning to bear or carry, with the agentive suffix -ja. The plural genitive ending -ien yields kantajien, which marks possession by several carriers or bearers. This inflection is typical for Finnish nouns ending in -aja.

Usage and contexts: In ordinary Finnish, kantaja denotes a person or organization that carries or bears something, such as a physical load or an obligation. For example, phrases like kantajien vastuut (the carriers’ responsibilities) or kantajien velvollisuudet (the carriers’ duties) appear in business or administrative language. In medicine and genetics, kantaja is commonly used to mean a carrier of a genetic trait or disease allele, who may be asymptomatic. In logistics, law, and insurance, kantaja can refer to the carrier in a transport contract, i.e., the entity responsible for delivering goods and potentially liable for loss or damage.

See also: Kantaja (the base form) and kantajan/kantajan taivutusmalleja for other cases, as well as related terms for carrier or bearer in Finnish. The exact meaning of kantajien depends on the domain and context, but it consistently denotes possession or association with carriers or bearers.