Käeshoitavad

Käeshoitavad is Estonian an adjective meaning “hand-held” or “designed to be held and operated by hand.” It is formed from the noun käsi (hand) and the participial stem hoidav from hoidma (to hold). The term is commonly used in product descriptions, manuals, and ergonomic discussions to distinguish portable, manually operated equipment from stationary or mounted devices.

Morphology and usage: Käeshoitav is the base form, and käeshoitavad is the nominative plural. The adjective agrees with the noun in number and case, so typical phrases include käeshoitav seade (a hand-held device) and käeshoitavad seadmed (hand-held devices). Other inflected forms follow standard Estonian agreement, such as käeshoitava seadme (genitive singular) or käeshoitavate seadmete (genitive plural).

Context and implications: The term is especially common in design, engineering, electronics, medicine, and safety discussions, where the hand-held form factor influences usability, weight, grip, and control interfaces. Using käeshoitavad helps emphasize portability and manual operation, as opposed to mounted, automated, or stationary equipment. It can also relate to ergonomics, accessibility, and user experience considerations by highlighting how a product fits and functions in the hand.

Examples: käeshoitav seade (a hand-held device), käeshoitavad tööriistad (hand-held tools), käeshoitavate seadmete kasutusmugavus (the usability of hand-held devices).

See also: related concepts include ergonomic design and portable devices.