Ligikaudsetena

Ligikaudsetena is a rarely attested Estonian term used in linguistic and technical writing to indicate that something is treated as an approximate value or role rather than an exact one. The word combines ligikaudne, meaning approximate, with the suffix -setena, which in Estonian can mark a status or role in a clause.

Usage and scope. The construction appears primarily in formal or scientific prose, where authors want to soften claims or acknowledge estimation. It can function as a postposed phrase that describes how a statement should be interpreted, rather than asserting precision. Because it is not common in everyday speech, ligikaudsetena tends to appear in academic texts, reports, or translations that aim to preserve a sense of approximation.

Examples. In Estonian, sentences such as “Tulemus esitatakse ligikaudsetena 42” (The result is presented as approximately 42) or “Eksperimentaandmed on esitatud ligikaudsetena” (The experimental data are presented as approximate) illustrate the intended nuance. In English, equivalent phrasing would be “as an approximation” or “approximately.”

Etymology and related forms. The term is formed from ligikaudne (approximate) plus -setena, a suffixal combination used to convey a role or status. Related concepts include the adjective ligikaudne, the adverbial sense of approximation, and general discussions of estimation in statistics and scientific writing.

See also. Ligikaudne, approximate, estimation, Estonian grammar, linguistic terminology.