Tugevuse

Tugevuse is the Estonian noun that denotes strength, power, resilience, or the intensity of a property or phenomenon. It is used in everyday language to describe physical power, mental tenacity, or the overall force behind a process or event. The term can refer to the durability of a material, the stamina of a person, or the magnitude of an observed effect, depending on the context.

The word is formed from the adjective tugev meaning strong, with the suffix -us. The standard nominative form is tugevus, and in the genitive singular it becomes tugeuve or tugeve? In standard usage, the genitive singular is tugeva, but commonly written as tugeuse in everyday Estonian; the exact form can vary with grammatical construction. In formal writing or when citing the concept as a label, the form Tugevuse may be capitalized as a proper noun.

In practice, tugevus appears across several domains. In science and engineering, it describes a material’s capacity to resist deformation or failure, often translated as strength in discussions of durability and performance. In psychology and everyday speech, it refers to resilience or the ability to cope with stress and adversity. In sports, art, and literature, strength is commonly used metaphorically to describe skill, influence, or intensity. The term is widely understood in Estonian and has parallel expressions such as tugevus, vastupidavus, and võime.

See also: tugevus (related concept), vastupidavus, jõud.