arviolla

Arviolla is a Finnish linguistic term referring to the adessive form of the noun arvio, meaning "on the basis of an estimate" or "by estimate." In usage, arviolla appears in formal or technical writing to indicate that a claim, figure, or judgment is based on an estimate rather than exact data. It is formed from arvio (estimate) plus the adessive suffix -lla, which marks a surface or basis.

The phrase is commonly found in contexts such as government reports, business analyses, and statistical summaries, where numbers are accompanied by qualifiers to reflect uncertainty. Example sentences include: "Kustannukset on laskettu arviolla noin 1,2 miljoonaa euroa" (Costs are calculated on an estimate of about 1.2 million euros) and "Lopullinen myyntimäärä on viranomaisten arviolla pienempi kuin ennakoitiin." The construction is less common in everyday Finnish, where arviolta ("approximately") or "arvioiden mukaan" ("according to estimates") are more typical.

Related terms include arvio (estimate) and arviolta (approximately), the latter being the standard adverb for approximate quantities. The use of arviolla emphasizes the basis rather than the degree of uncertainty, and writers should consider whether arviolta or arvioiden mukaan better conveys the intended nuance. See also: arvio, arviolta, arvioiden mukaan, adessive case.