Yleislaatuisesta

Yleislaatuisesta is a Finnish adjective form meaning “of general nature” or “typical of a broad category.” It is the elative singular form of the compound adjective yleislaatuinen, which itself is built from yleis- (general, common) and laatuinen (of quality, of a kind). The combination expresses that a feature or phenomenon is not specific to one case but characteristic across many cases or instances.

Usage and nuance

Yleislaatuisesta is used mainly in formal, academic, or analytical Finnish when the writer wants to emphasize generality rather than particularity. It describes properties, phenomena, or classifications that apply broadly rather than to a single example. The word typically appears when the accompanying noun is in the elative case or in contexts where an elative sense (from a general nature) is intended, for example in phrases that can be translated as “from a general nature” or “of a general nature.”

Related terms and alternatives

Related concepts include yleinen (general), yleisyys (universality or generality), and universaali (universal). The more everyday counterpart to yleislaatuisesta is yleinen, which conveys general applicability without the nuance of “from a general nature.” The noun form yleislaatuus or yleislaatuinen luonne may occur in broader discussions of quality or character, depending on context.

Notes

The term is relatively specialized and may be less common outside technical writing. In many contexts, speakers might opt for more everyday phrasing such as yleinen luonteeltaan or yleisesti characteristic features, depending on the desired nuance.