Välisseitetermiä

Välisseitetermiä is a Finnish term used in discussions of terminology management to denote terms that operate at an intermediate level between abstract domain concepts and concrete, domain-specific terms. The concept is not part of a single standardized taxonomy; its exact meaning can vary by project, author, or field. The construction reflects its intended role as a bridging label. An intermediate term describes a concept that is broader than a concrete instance but narrower than a general category; it helps coordinate between abstract models and implementation-level terms, facilitating translation, data modeling, and knowledge organization.

The concept is common in glossary design, knowledge graphs, ontology development, and translation workflows, where there is a need to map between levels of abstraction without conflating terms. In practice, a high-level term such as “tieto” (data) and a low-level term like “kenttäarvo” (field value) may be connected via mid-level terms such as “tietoyksikkö” or “tietoelementti” that serve as välisseitetermiä. In a customer database, for example, a high-level “asiakas” and a low-level “asiakasnumero” can be linked through an intermediary “asiakasprofiili” that functions as a välisseitetermiä.

The use of välisseitetermiä aims to improve consistency across glossaries and data dictionaries, while critics note that the lack of a universal definition can create ambiguity and hinder cross-domain collaboration. Related concepts include bridging terms, mediating concepts, terminology management, and ontology engineering.