elinikäisen

Elinikäisen is the genitive singular form of the Finnish adjective elinikäinen, which means lifelong or lasting for the duration of a person’s life. The term is used to describe something that persists or is applicable throughout an individual’s lifetime, rather than only for a short period. It is commonly encountered in discussions of education, health, and social policy, where lifelong processes or commitments are emphasized.

Usage and meaning

Elinikäinen describes conditions, programs, or concepts that extend over a person’s life. In Finnish, it is frequently used in compound terms and set phrases such as elinikäiskoulutus (lifelong education) and lifelong learning. The expression elinikäisen oppimisen (of lifelong learning) appears in policy texts and educational literature, highlighting an emphasis on continuous development from schooling through adulthood. The word also appears in everyday language to denote enduring traits or obligations, for example in phrases like elinikäisen työn arjessa, meaning the routine of lifelong work, though such uses are more context-specific.

Grammar and forms

Elinikäinen is a regular Finnish adjective and declines like other adjectives. The genitive singular form is elinikäisen, which is used to modify nouns in possessive or ideological constructions, for example elinikäisen oppimisen edellytykset (the prerequisites of lifelong learning). Other common cases include elinikäisen koulutuksen (of lifelong education) and elinikäisessä kontekstissa (in a lifelong context). The word is most often found in compound nouns or noun phrases rather than alone.

Etymology

The term combines elin, meaning life, with the suffix -ikäinen, which forms adjectives denoting a characteristic or condition related to duration or age. The result is a productive Finnish term for durations that extend across a lifetime.