Peräkkäinen

Peräkkäinen is a Finnish adjective meaning sequential or consecutive. It describes things that occur one after another in direct succession, without gaps. The term is used in everyday Finnish as well as in mathematical and logical contexts to denote items that follow in order, such as consecutive numbers. The opposite concept is often expressed with samanaikainen, meaning simultaneous.

Etymology and related forms: Peräkkäinen combines perä, meaning rear or back, with the suffix -kainen, which forms adjectives indicating a characteristic or relation. The adverbial form is peräkkäin, meaning in sequence or successively. The noun form peräkkäisyys refers to the property of being consecutive or sequential.

Usage: Peräkkäinen generally precedes the noun it modifies (peräkkäiset luvut, peräkkäiset päivät). In mathematics and data contexts it is used to describe sequences or runs of items that follow one another in natural order. The related noun peräkkäisyys denotes the quality of consecutiveness.

Examples: Kolme peräkkäistä vuotta refers to three consecutive years. Luvut 8, 9 ja 10 ovat peräkkäisiä lukuja. Peräkkäiset tapahtumat describe events that occur one after another, indicating a clear sequence.

See also: Peräkkäin (adverb meaning in sequence), peräkkäisyys (noun meaning consecutiveness), samanaikainen (opposite meaning: simultaneous).