Puuduseks

Puuduseks is an Estonian translative form of the noun puudus, meaning lack, deficiency, or shortage. The translative case marks a transition into a state, in this case into a lack, deficiency, or shortage. The sense is akin to “for lack of,” “because of a lack of,” or “into lack.” The word is used mostly in formal, written Estonian, including academic, legal, and policy texts, to describe situations where something is missing or insufficient.

Etymology: Puuduseks comes from the noun puudus plus the translative suffix -seks, reflecting a change-of-state meaning.

Usage: In practice, puuduseks appears in clauses that discuss consequences, requirements, or processes resulting from a deficiency. It can modify nouns to indicate what is lacking, or serve in compound expressions stating the cause of a condition. The form is less common in everyday speech, where simpler constructions are preferred.

Comparison: The related genitive puuduse expresses possession or association with lack, while puuduseks emphasizes the transition to that state. The plural or other cases of puudus follow different endings.

See also: Puudus; Estonian grammar; Translative case.