Määritettävä

Määritettävä is a Finnish present passive participle form of the verb määrittää, meaning to define or specify. It functions as an adjective meaning “to be defined” or “definable,” and is used to describe nouns for which a definition or specification is required or forthcoming.

Grammatical notes: Määritettävä is formed with the present passive participle suffix -ttava/-ttävä. As an adjective it agrees with the noun in number and case. Examples: singular nominative: määritettävä käsite (the concept to be defined); plural nominative: määritettävät käsitteet (the concepts to be defined). Genitive singular: määritettavan käsitteen; partitive singular: määritettävää käsitettä. The form can also appear in other cases and numbers, maintaining the same participial meaning.

Usage: The word is common in technical, legal, scientific, and planning contexts where certain items have not yet been defined or require further specification. It can describe concepts, criteria, requirements, fields, or other nouns that will later receive a definition. For example, “määritettävät kriteerit” refers to criteria that must be defined, while “määritettävä käsite” refers to a concept that will be defined.

Relation to related forms: Määritetty (defined) is the past passive participle, indicating that definition has already occurred. Määritellään and määrittely refer to the act of defining or the process of specification. Määritettävä thus conveys future or pending definition, rather than something already defined.

In sum, määritettävä is a key Finnish term for describing items that require definition, serving as a neutral, concise descriptor in formal and technical language.