Tühikesed

Tühikesed is an Estonian adjective form used to describe objects, spaces, or concepts that are notably empty or lacking substance. As a plural, it typically modifies nouns in the plural, conveying a sense of pronounced emptiness or insufficiency beyond a simple “empty” description.

Morphology and etymology context: the word is built from the stem tühi, meaning empty, and appears in contexts where a heightened or intensified sense of emptiness is intended. The form tühikesed is most commonly found before plural nouns, such as tühikesed ruumid (very empty rooms) or tühikesed sõnad (empty words). The exact nuance can vary with tone, region, and the surrounding language.

Usage and nuance: tühikesed is used in both everyday and literary Estonian to emphasize emptiness, futility, or lack of content. In literary prose, it can help create atmosphere or highlight a scene’s perceived hollowness. In everyday speech, it may appear when speakers want to stress that something feels hollow, insubstantial, or devoid of meaningful content.

Comparison and related terms: while tühikesed foregrounds emptiness, other related adjectives can express different shades, such as tühi (empty), tühine (worthless or insignificant), or tühjavõitu (half-empty or incomplete). The choice among them depends on desired emphasis and stylistic effect.

In summary, tühikesed functions as a descriptive, intensifying plural form of the word tühi, used to convey a strong sense of emptiness or lack of substance in Estonian discourse.