hommiku

Hommiku is the genitive singular form of the Estonian noun hommik, meaning morning. It is used primarily in forming compound words and in expressions that relate to or occur in the morning.

In Estonian, the genitive singular is created with the ending -u, and when hommiku combines with another noun in a compound, the resulting form often functions as a prefix indicating morning-related meaning. This prefix appears in several common compounds and is not typically used as a standalone noun in everyday speech.

Common examples include hommikusöök, meaning breakfast, where hommiku- attaches to söök (meal), and hommikuvalgus, meaning morning light, where the same prefix links to valgus (light). The genitive form also appears in time expressions such as hommikul (in the morning) and, in longer phrases, hommiku ajal (during the morning), illustrating how the morpheme marks temporal relation to morning rather than replacing the standalone adverbial form.

Usage and notes: while hommik itself is used to refer to the morning and appears in everyday phrases, hommiku serves mainly a role in word formation. The genitive prefix allows speakers to create descriptive compounds that specify morning-related phenomena without altering the basic meaning of the second component. This pattern is a characteristic feature of Estonian compounding and genitive usage in attributive constructions.