Klaasi

Klaasi is the Estonian word that corresponds to the English term glass. It designates both the material—glass as a transparent, hard substance—and, in everyday language, a drinking vessel made from that material. The base noun is klaas; in inflected forms, the genitive and partitive singular is klaasi, which appears in phrases such as a glass of water or two glasses of milk. The plural form is klaasid, with the genitive plural klaaside.

Etymology and usage: klaas is a loanword borrowed from German Glas, reflecting historical contact and trade. In modern Estonian, klaas covers both the material and the object made from it, while klaasi is encountered in grammatical constructions that indicate possession, quantity, or partitive meaning. For example, one can say “klaasi vesi” (the water in a glass) or “kaks klaasi piima” (two glasses of milk).

Grammatical notes and compounds: Klaasi is versatile in its inflected forms and appears in compounds and adjectives such as klaasist (made of glass) or klaasist nõu (glassware). The term is common in daily speech, education, commerce, and industry when referring to glass products, glassware, or the material itself.

See also: glass (materials), glassware, Klaas as a personal name in some contexts.