Tähtipisteinä

Tähtipisteinä is a Finnish term used in typography and linguistic descriptions to refer to a list whose items are marked with star-shaped bullet points. The word combines tähtipiste, literally “star point” (tähti meaning star and piste meaning dot or mark), with the translative plural suffix -inä, producing täh tipisteinä meaning “as star points” or “in the form of star points.” The form is primarily found in descriptive, instructional, or historical discussions about formatting rather than in everyday writing.

Grammatical notes: Tähtipisteinä functions as a mouthful of a nominal phrase in the translative plural. It is used to describe how content is presented, answering questions such as “in what form?” or “as what?” in a given context. For example, a sentence might state that “koko lista esitettiin tähtipisteinä,” meaning “the entire list was presented as star bullets.” The term thus serves as a stylistic or typographic label rather than a common everyday expression.

Usage and context: In contemporary Finnish publishing, bullet markers are often referred to more generally as luettelomerkit. Tähtipisteinä is more specific and tends to appear in guidelines, technical descriptions, or debates about formatting choices, especially when distinguishing between different kinds of markers (such as asterisks, numerals, or dashes).

Related concepts: tähtimerkki (star symbol), asteriski (asterisk), luettelomerkki (bullet/marker). The term helps describe a particular visual style in lists and can be useful in discussions of typography, design guidelines, and linguistic description.