Kirjaston

Kirjaston is the genitive singular form of the Finnish noun kirjasto, meaning library. It denotes possession or association, for example: kirjaston kirjoja (the library's books).

Grammar and usage: In Finnish, the genitive singular is formed by adding -n to the noun stem; for kirjasto, this yields kirjaston. It is used within noun phrases to mark ownership or relation, and can also appear after prepositions to express relations such as kirjaston kautta (through the library).

Examples: kirjaston tilat (the library's facilities); kirjaston työntekijä (a library employee); kirjaston ovet (the library doors).

Etymology: The word kirjasto itself is formed from kirja (book) plus the suffix -sto, a productive Finnish derivational suffix that indicates a place related to the stem, giving the sense of a place for books.

See also: Finnish genitive, Finnish grammar, kirjasto.