Vanhemman

Vanhemman is the genitive singular form of the Finnish adjective vanhempi, meaning older or elder. It is not used as a standalone noun; rather, it functions as a possessive modifier that marks ownership or relation by the elder member of a group when attached to another noun in the genitive.

In practice, vanhemman occurs in phrases that describe relationships within two or more people. For example, vanhemman veljen nimi means “the elder brother’s name.” Here vanhemman modifies the following genitive noun veljen (brother’s). The construction is common in genealogical or descriptive text and helps specify which person among siblings is being referred to.

Usage notes and related forms:

- Vanhemman is the genitive form of vanhempi and is used to indicate possession or association by someone who is older in a given context.

- The corresponding opposite form for younger is nuorempi, and its genitive would be nuorempan, following the same pattern for possessive phrases.

- Because Finnish adjectives decline to agree with the noun they modify, vanhemman appears before the genitive noun it describes.

Etymology and language context:

- Vanhemman derives from vanhempi (older, elder), a common Finnish adjective. The genitive form appears primarily in compound noun phrases that express “the elder’s …” or “the elder of two,” rather than as a standalone noun.

Overall, vanhemman is a grammatical tool in Finnish used to specify elder ownership or relation in noun phrases, especially in formal, descriptive, or genealogical language.