Vastavus

Vastavus is an Estonian noun meaning conformity, compliance, adequacy, or correspondence. It denotes the state of being in agreement with a standard, fact, requirement, or expectation. The term is used across disciplines to express alignment between two or more entities.

Etymology: vastavus derives from vastav, meaning in accordance with or corresponding; related to the verb vastama, meaning to answer or to correspond.

In philosophy, vastavus is central to the correspondence theory of truth, where a proposition is true if it corresponds to reality; one may speak of väide vastab tegelikkusele, the claim corresponds to facts. In logic and linguistics, vastavus can describe semantic or referential alignment between language and what it refers to. In data analysis and science, vastavus describes how closely observed data fit a model or hypothesis; measures of goodness-of-fit assess the degree of vastavus.

In law and industry, vastavus is used in the concept of conformity: products and processes must meet specified requirements; a certificate of conformity (sertifikaat vastavuse kinnitamiseks) documents this. Regulatory frameworks use phrases such as vastavus standarditele or vastavus nõuetele.

Examples: A product that passes testing and meets all standards demonstrates vastavus; a statement that aligns with evidence shows vastavus tegelikkusega.

Vastavus remains a versatile term across Estonian science, law, and everyday language, signaling reliability, trust, and adherence to agreed criteria.