armastus

Armastus is the Estonian noun for love, representing a deep affection or emotional bond directed toward a person, group, or thing. It covers romantic love, familial love, friendship, and general warmth or care, and it is commonly used in everyday language as well as literature, religion, and philosophy.

Etymology: Armastus is formed from the verb armastama, “to love,” with the abstract noun suffix -us. Thus, armastus denotes the state or quality of loving.

Usage: In Estonian, armastus can express romantic love, parental love, or friendship. It also appears in religious contexts, for example the phrase "Jumal on armastus" (God is love). The noun forms are often combined with adjectives to specify type, e.g., romantiline armastus or perekondlik armastus.

Cultural notes: Armastus plays a central role in Estonian literature and songs as a universal human emotion. It interacts with related concepts such as kiindumus (fondness) and hoolivus (care).

See also: The Finnish word rakkaus is cognate; other Finnic languages have similar terms.