edeltää

Edeltää is a Finnish verb meaning to come before in time or order, i.e., to precede. It can describe events that occur earlier than others, or elements that are ahead of others in a sequence or ranking. The sense of predate is common in historical, chronological, and comparative contexts, while it can also mark the order of steps in a process or plan.

Usage of edeltää often involves time relationships, such as saying that one year or event precedes another. It can be used with indeterminately dated events or with concrete dates. In addition to describing temporal order, the verb can be used more broadly to indicate that one item precedes or comes before another in a sequence or hierarchy. The structure is typically straightforward: the subject precedes the object in time or order.

Morphology and grammar: edeltää is a regular Finnish -taa verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern of -taa verbs. It can take objects in various cases depending on the context, and it can be used with both intransitive and transitive senses (for example, when referring to time or to a preceding item in a sequence).

Related terms include edeltäjä (predecessor), edelläkävijä (pioneer), and edeltäminen (the act of preceding). The word is built from edellä (in front, before) and the verb-forming suffix, reflecting its core meaning of coming before.

See also: edeltäjä, edelläkävijä, edeltäminen.