jäest

Jõest is the elative singular form of the Estonian noun jõgi (river). It functions as a postpositional case to indicate origin or source, meaning “from the river” or “out of the river.” In Estonian, such sources are expressed without a separate preposition; the relationship is shown through the case ending on the noun.

The elative is one of the locational cases. It is formed by adding the suffix -st to the stem, here turning jõg- into jõest (jõgi → jõest).

Common uses include extraction and movement from a place: “Ma tõin jõest vett” (I brought water from the river). “Ta päästis kala jõest” (He saved the fish from the river). The elative answers “from where?” in such contexts.

Related forms for other bodies of water include järvest (from the lake) and merest (from the sea). These forms illustrate how Estonian marks source and origin directly on the noun through case endings rather than prepositions.