Otoksia

Otoksia is the partitive plural form of the Finnish noun otos, which has several related meanings. An otos can denote a sample or specimen, an excerpt from a text, or a shot/scene in photography or film. The form otoksia is used when the quantity is indefinite or when the object of a sentence is in the partitive case, as in use cases such as “otoksia otettiin useista tilaisuuksista” (samples were taken from several occasions) or “ottaa useita otoksia” (to take several photographs).

In photography and film, otokset commonly refer to individual photographs or frames. In statistics and research contexts, otokset denotes data samples drawn from a population and used for analysis. In literary or journalistic contexts, otokset can also mean excerpts or passages selected for quotation or illustration. The word thus shifts meaning according to domain, with the common thread being something that has been taken, selected, or produced as a representative piece.

Etymology traces otos to the verb ottaa, meaning to take. The sense of otos as a taken item—whether a photograph, a sample, or an excerpt—underpins the use of otoksia as its partitive plural form in many contexts. Common usage patterns include phrases emphasizing quantity (paljon otoksia, useita otoksia) or domain-specific meanings (ohjelman otokset for film frames, tutkimuksen otokset for study samples).

Notes: The exact interpretation of otoksia depends on context, and speakers distinguish between photographic, textual, or statistical senses through surrounding words.