johdettu

Johdettu is a Finnish term used primarily in linguistics and lexicography. It refers to a form that has been derived from another form, typically through derivation with affixes or compounding. In everyday grammar it also functions as the past passive participle of the verb johtaa, meaning “led” or “conducted.” In linguistic descriptions, the focus is usually on the derivational origin rather than on the sense of leading.

In linguistic practice, a word is described as johdettu when it has been created from a base form. For example, the noun opettaja is johdettu from the verb opettaa by adding the agentive suffix -ja, forming a derived word that means “teacher.” Another common example is kansallinen, meaning “national,” which is derived from kansa (people) with the suffix -ellinen. These cases illustrate how derivational morphology produces new words with meanings related to, but distinct from, their bases.

Johdettu is not typically used to describe inflected forms, which convey grammatical information such as case, number, or tense rather than word formation. For inflection, different terminology is used, and such forms are not considered johdettu in the derivational sense. In many contexts, the broader noun for such outputs is johdannainen, meaning a derivative or derived form, while johdettu emphasizes the action of derivation in forming a new word.

See also: etymology, derivation, johdannainen, morphological word formation.