Kykenevä

Kykenevä is a Finnish adjective that denotes capability or potential, roughly translating to "capable" or "able." It is primarily found in historical texts, poetry, and some regional dialects. In modern standard Finnish, the term is rare, and speakers typically use alternatives such as pystyvä or kyvykäs to express similar meanings.

Etymology and form: The word is formed from the noun kyky, meaning "ability," with the adjectival suffix -evä. This pattern is part of a productive class of -evä adjectives in Finnish that express possibility or capacity. Like other adjectives, kykenevä inflects to agree with the noun in number and case, and its corresponding forms include kykenevä, kykenevän, kykenevää, and so on.

Usage and status: Today kykenevä is mainly of interest to scholars of historical Finnish and to readers of older literature. Its use in contemporary everyday language is limited, as more common expressions such as pystyvä (able) and kyvykäs (capable or skilled) are preferred. When encountered in texts, kykenevä often carries a slightly formal or archaic tone, contributing to a historical or literary flavour.

See also: Finnish language, kyky, pystyvä, kyvykäs, adjective morphology.

Notes: While kykenevä is a legitimate historical Finnish adjective, modern usage tends to favor more everyday synonyms. Its study helps illustrate how Finnish forms express ability and potential through suffixal patterns and historical stylistic variation.