Kiekvieno

Kiekvieno is a Lithuanian word that functions as a determiner and pronoun form meaning “of every” or “each.” It is the genitive singular form of the determiner kiekvienas and is used to indicate distributive scope, typically before a noun to express universal inclusion.

Etymology and forms: Kiekvieno develops from the combination of kiek, meaning “how much/many,” and vienas, meaning “one.” As a genitive singular, kiekvieno appears with masculine and neuter nouns; feminine nouns take the corresponding genitive form kiekvienos. The head noun in such phrases remains in its base form, while the possessor or attribute is expressed in genitive: kiekvieno žmogaus, kiekvieno iš jų, etc.

Grammatical use: Kiekvieno is most commonly encountered in formal or written Lithuanian, where it introduces possessive constructions such as “of every person” or “each of them.” It can form part of a larger noun phrase, often preceding a noun in genitive or combining with pronouns to emphasize universality. In everyday speech, other words like visų or kiekvieną may be used in different syntactic constructions, but kiekvieno remains standard for genitive possessive expressions involving masculine or neuter nouns.

Examples:

- Kiekvieno žmogaus teisė yra svarbi. (The right of every person is important.)

- Kiekvieno iš jų nuomonė buvo išklausyta. (Each of them’s opinion was heard.)

See also: kiekvienas, lietuvių gramatika, genitive case.