garrantzitsua

Garrantzitsua is a Basque adjective meaning "important" or "significant." It is used to describe people, events, objects, or ideas that are regarded as noteworthy or of consequence. As a common descriptive term, it appears in both everyday speech and written Basque.

Etymology and form: The adjective garrantzitsua is related to the Basque noun garrantzi, meaning "importance." It is formed with the suffix that produces an adjectival meaning and takes the -a ending in its attributive singular form. This form is the one typically used when the adjective modifies a singular definite noun phrase.

Usage and grammar: In Basque, adjectives generally follow the noun they describe, and garrantzitsua is used in that position to convey importance or significance. It can be employed predicatively as well, with phrases equivalent to "is important" or "is significant" in English. The word is gender-neutral and does not inflect for gender, aligning with Basque’s noun-centric agreement system. It is widely understood across dialects and registers, from casual speech to formal writing.

Related terms: The concept of importance is expressed with related forms derived from the same root, such as the noun garrantzi (importance); Basque also contains other adjectives derived from similar roots to convey related nuances like essential or notable.

See also: Basque language; Basque adjectives; garrantzi (importance).