Ylpeä

Ylpeä is a Finnish adjective meaning "proud" or "prideful". It is derived from the noun ylppy, which itself comes from the root ylp, historically linked with the Proto-Finnic term *ylp- meaning “high, lofty”. The suffix -eä turns the noun into an adjective, and the word has remained unchanged in modern standard Finnish.

In contemporary usage, ylpeä is applied to people, animals, and sometimes inanimate objects when describing a sense of self‑assurance or satisfaction with achievements. For example, a mother might say that she feels ylpeä of her child's academic successes. The adjective can also convey a more boastful or haughty tone when used in contexts of self‑importance.

Grammatically, ylpeä belongs to the class of Finnish adjectives that have no inherent gender, but can take case endings. Its most common inflected forms include ylpeästi (“proudly”) and ylpeyksen ("of pride"). The comparative form, ylpiä, means “more proud”, and the superlative ylpein is used in phrases such as “ylpein ihmenevä”. In speech, it is often shortened in colloquial expressions like “ylpeäinen”, especially among young speakers.

Philologically, the word appears in early medieval Finnish poetry and sagas. Linguists note that the root *ylp- is shared with other Uralic languages, indicating an ancient notion of elevation or importance. In modern Finnish, ylpeä is common in both formal and informal contexts, and it occasionally appears in compound words like ylpeysaloitte. The term is closely related to similar concepts such as ylpeyden (pride) and ylpeänä (“proudly”).

Overall, ylpeä encapsulates the cultural value placed on personal dignity and communal recognition in Finnish society, and it remains a staple in everyday vocabulary.