jäsenet

Jäsenet is a Finnish word that serves as the plural form of jäsen. It has two main senses: a member of a group or organization, and a limb or appendage of a body. In everyday language, jäsenet most commonly refer to people who belong to clubs, associations, companies, boards, or other collectives. The collective of members is often described as the jäsenistö, and the number of members as jäsenmäärä. A person can join an organization by becoming a jäsen (membership), for example by liittyä jäseneksi. Membership typically involves rights such as participating in meetings and voting, and duties such as paying a jäsenmaksu or following the organization's rules. A member of a board, committee, or council is also referred to as a jäsen.

In anatomical or biological contexts, jäsenet refer to limbs or appendages of an organism. In practice, more everyday Finnish tends to use raajat for arms and legs, while jäsenet may appear in more formal, educational, or technical descriptions of body parts or of organisms in general. The term can also appear in metaphorical expressions describing components of a system or structure.

Etymologically, jäsen denotes a part or component of a larger whole, and the plural form jäsenet is used when multiple members or limbs are involved. The word is versatile and appears across legal, organizational, educational, and medical texts, with meaning clarified by context.

Overall, jäsenet functions as a neutral, polyvalent term in Finnish, most often encountered in discussions of membership and, less commonly, in anatomical contexts.