Lyijyllä

Lyijyllä is the adessive singular form of the Finnish noun lyijy (lead). In Finnish grammar, the adessive case marks the instrument or means by which an action is performed, roughly corresponding to with in English. Therefore lyijyllä signals that something is done using lead as a tool or material. The corresponding plural form is lyijyillä.

Usage and scope: Lyijyllä appears mainly in contexts describing drawing or writing with a pencil, historically associated with lyijy as the “lead” in pencils. It can also indicate that an object is manufactured or treated using lead as a material, for example “esine valmistettiin lyijyllä.” Because lead is hazardous, many modern descriptions avoid implying practical use of lead in production and instead discuss the substance itself or use other materials in explanations.

Grammatical notes: Lyijyllä declines like other nouns in the adessive. The plural is lyijyillä. The form is primarily of interest in linguistic discussions, language description, or historical descriptions of pencil terminology (lyijykynä). In ordinary speech, speakers may opt for more general expressions or specify the context without emphasizing the instrument.

Example sentences: Piirrokset on tehty lyijyllä. Esine valmistettiin lyijyllä. These illustrate the instrumental meaning of lyijyllä, indicating that drawing or manufacturing was done with lead as the instrument or material. See also lyijy, lyijykynä, and Finnish grammar.