Terveemmät

Terveemmät is a Finnish word that functions as the plural nominative form of the comparative adjective terveempi, meaning healthier or more healthful. It is used to refer to a group or multiple items that are comparatively more healthy than others. For example, in discussing lifestyle or health outcomes, one might say “terveemmät elämäntavat” (healthier lifestyle practices) or “terveemmät ihmiset” (healthier people).

Morphology and usage notes: terveempi is formed from the adjective terve (healthy) with the comparative suffix -mpi, and the plural nominative of the comparative is terveemmät. The form is common in nutrition, public health, sports, and everyday speech when contrasting groups or individuals. Finnish also has related forms such as terveellisempi (more healthful) or the superlative healthiest, terveimmät, which refers to the most healthy among a group. The choice between terveempi and terveellisempi can convey slightly different nuances: terveempi tends to indicate actual health status or physical condition, while terveellisempi emphasizes health-promoting qualities.

Context and nuance: as a descriptive modifier, terveemmät typically accompanies nouns referring to people or group configurations. It is not a standalone noun; its meaning relies on the noun it modifies. In neutral encyclopedic writing, it would appear in statements comparing health levels, risk factors, or lifestyle choices across groups.

See also: verb phrases and nouns in health discourse that often collocate with ellipses such as elämäntavat, ruokavalio, ja liikunta.