Vanhoista

Vanhoista is a Finnish grammatical form. It is the elative plural form of the adjective vanha, meaning old. It is used with plural nouns to indicate origin or source from multiple things described as old, or from a period considered old. In practical terms, vanhoista answers “from where?” when referring to several items.

The form is commonly seen in phrases such as vanhoista kirjoista (from the old books) and vanhoista ajoista (from the old times). In these contexts, the word signals that the source or origin is part of the category of things described as old. Finnish adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in number and case, so vanha takes different endings depending on whether the noun is singular or plural, and which case is used.

Related forms help clarify meaning and distinction. For example, vanha alone is the base form; vanhojen is the genitive plural (of the old ones), vanhat is the nominative plural (the old ones), vanhasta is singular elative (from the old), vanhassa is singular inessive (in the old), and vanhoista is the elative plural (from the old ones). The final -sta/-stä endings, and the pattern that the stem adjusts when moving from singular to plural, are characteristic of Finnish adjective declensions.

Etymology traces vanha to the Finnic roots for “old,” with the modern inflectional system producing forms such as vanhoista for plural elative use. Understanding vanhoista thus involves recognizing its role as a case-specific modifier for plural nouns describing things deemed old.