elinaika

Elinaika is a Finnish term meaning lifespan or lifetime. It is used to denote the duration from birth to death in living beings and, in technical contexts, the expected operational lifetime of a device or system.

Etymology: The word is a compound of elina- meaning life and aika meaning time; together they describe the length of life.

In biology and demography, elinaika refers to the actual length of life of individuals or cohorts. Analysts may report mean elinaika, median elinaika, or the full distribution. It is distinct from life expectancy, which expresses the average remaining years of life for individuals at a given age.

In engineering and reliability studies, elinaika denotes service life or reliability lifetime—the period during which a product or component is expected to function without failure. It informs maintenance planning, warranties, and lifecycle assessments.

Related Finnish terms include elinkaari (life cycle) and elinikä (lifespan). The concept is used in scientific literature and public discourse in Finland to discuss longevity, aging, and durability.