askeleesta

Askeleesta is a Finnish word form that functions as the elative case of askel, meaning "step" in English. In Finnish grammar the elative case, marked by the suffix -sta or -stä, expresses motion out of or away from something and is often translated as "from" or "out of." Thus askeleesta typically means "from the step" or "out of the step," and appears in contexts describing movement away from a step or figurative movement beginning at a step.

Morphology and pronunciation: the base noun askel ("step") adopts the stem askele- in many inflected forms; adding the elative suffix -sta yields askeleesta. Vowel harmony determines the choice of -sta (rather than -stä) because the stem contains back vowels. An approximate pronunciation in IPA is /ˈɑskeleestɑ/.

Usage: askeleesta appears in sentences that describe physical motion (for example, Hän astui askeleesta alas — "He stepped down from the step") and in figurative expressions relating to progression or change that begin at a particular stage. Like other Finnish case forms, it is productive in compound phrases and idiomatic constructions.

Other uses: capitalized or adapted, Askeleesta could appear as a proper name, title, or brand, but such uses are separate from the standard grammatical function. When encountered, context determines whether the word is a case-inflected common noun or a proper noun.