elinkeinona

Elinkeinona is a Finnish linguistic term meaning “as a livelihood” or “as one's economic activity.” It is the essive form of elinkeino, which denotes a person’s main source of income or occupation. The word is commonly used in formal, administrative, or evaluative contexts when describing how someone earns a living or what economic activity they pursue.

Grammatically, elinkeino is the base noun. In the essive case it appears as elinkeinona to express the role or function of something “as a livelihood.” The possessive form elinkeinonsa means “his/her/its livelihood.” The plural form elinkeinoja means “economic activities.”

Usage and nuance: elinkeinona focuses on the role or capacity in which a person earns a living, rather than on a general description of the activity itself. It is often found in statistics, reports, or biographical texts where the subject’s income source is being characterized.

Translations and equivalents: the most common English renderings are “as a livelihood” and “as an occupation (to earn a living).” In Finnish, other related terms include elinkeino (economic activity) and elinkeinorakenne (economic structure).

Examples:

- Kalastus on hänen elinkeinonsa. (Fishing is his livelihood.)

- Pienyritystoiminta on monille ihmisille elinkeinona. (Small business activity is a livelihood for many people.)

See also: elinkeino, elinkeinot, elinkeinorakenne.