eraetatud

Eraetatud is an Estonian adjective used primarily in historical, archival, and museological contexts to denote something that has been dated to a particular era. The form is built from the noun era, meaning period or epoch, with the passive participle suffix -etatud, producing an attribute that refers to a defined temporal horizon rather than to current status.

Etymology and form: Eraetatud combines era with -etatud in a way common to Estonian compound adjectives. It signals that an object, description, or assertion is associated with a specific era or epoch, rather than simply being old or outdated. The term is more common in professional descriptions than in everyday speech.

Usage: In archives, museums, and scholarly writing, eraetatud labels or notes indicate dating to a particular era, for example a document eraetatud 18. sajandisse (dated to the 18th century). It can modify nouns such as dokument, eseme (object), or kirjeldus (description). Because it specifies era-based dating, eraetatud is distinct from more general terms like aegunud (outdated) or vananenud (obsolete), which refer to relevance or condition rather than historical dating.

Limitations: Eraetatud is specialized and may be unfamiliar outside professional or academic contexts. Its exact acceptability and frequency can vary by institution or discipline.

See also: Ajalugu, Ajalooteadus, Aja- ja ajaloolised terms, Arhiiv.