Keinotekoisesta

Keinotekoinen is Finnish for artificial or man-made, describing objects, substances, or phenomena created by humans rather than occurring naturally. The term is widely used across science, technology, engineering, biology, and everyday language to distinguish synthetic or fabricated things from natural ones.

The form keinotekoisesta is the elative singular of the adjective keinotekoinen. Finnish adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in case and number, so the ending changes accordingly. Keinotekoisesta is used when the modified noun is in the elative case, often conveying meaning such as “from artificial” or “of artificial.” For example, keinotekoisesta valosta means “from artificial light,” and keinotekoisesta ympäristöstä means “from the artificial environment.” The elative form is one of several inflected forms the word can take in different grammatical contexts.

Usage and examples. In science and industry, keinotekoinen frequently describes materials, systems, or processes designed by humans, such as keinotekoinen kudos (artificial tissue) or keinotekoinen ravinto (synthetic/nutritional substitutes). In technology and AI discourse, phrases like keinotekoinen älykkyys (artificial intelligence) or keinotekoinen kieli (synthetic language) appear, typically in neutral or descriptive contexts. In cultural or ethical discussions, the term helps contrast human-made constructs with natural phenomena, e.g., natural vs. artificial environments.

Related terms include keinotekoinen (the base form of the adjective), keinotekoisesti (adverb meaning “artificially”), and various inflected forms for other cases and numbers. The concept remains a standard descriptive tool in Finnish to articulate the distinction between natural and human-made origin.