Sügavaima

Sügavaima is the Estonian superlative form of the adjective sügav, meaning “the deepest.” It is used to designate the most extreme depth within a group of objects, locations, or concepts, and it is a common construction in scientific, geographic, and descriptive writing.

Formation and usage: In Estonian, adjectives are declined for case and number, and the superlative degree can be expressed with a dedicated inflected form. The base adjective sügav forms the superlative as sügavaim, and when it agrees with a noun in a dependent position, the form appears as sügavaima, often preceding a noun in the genitive case. For example, sügavaima ookeani sügavus means “the depth of the deepest ocean,” where ookeani is the genitive of ookean (ocean) and sügavus is depth. Another example is sügavaima mäe tipp, meaning “the summit of the deepest mountain.”

Etymology: The word combines the root sügav (“deep”) with the Estonian superlative inflection, producing a form that is then declined to match the case and number of the noun it modifies. In everyday language, the superlative can also be expressed with kõige + adjective, but sügavaima is the fully inflected, attributive form used in specific grammatical contexts.

See also: Estonian grammar, Estonian language, comparative and superlative adjective forms.

Notes: Sügavaima is not a standalone noun but an inflected adjective phrase used to indicate maximum depth within a referenced set.