karkulaisten

Karkulaisten is the genitive plural form of karkulainen in Finnish. The root karkulainen denotes a person who has escaped confinement, such as a prisoner, detainee, or deserter. Therefore, karkulaisten refers to “of the escapees” or to a group described as escapees, depending on the context in which it is used.

Etymology and form: The term comes from the verb karka, meaning to escape, combined with the agent noun suffix -lainen, which yields karkulainen, “an escapee.” The plural genitive form karkulaisten is used when attributing something to the escapees or describing a group’s characteristics, for example karkulaisten määrä (the number of escapees) or karkulaisten kohtelu (the treatment of the escapees).

Usage: In Finnish, karkulaisten appears mainly in formal writing such as legal texts, historical records, journalism, and academic works. It is a neutral descriptor that identifies a group by their status as fugitives rather than by any specific history or organization. The precise meaning—whether referring to prison escapees, military deserters, or other runaways—depends on surrounding context.

Related terms: karkulainen (singular), karkulaisuus (the state or condition of being an escapee), karkaaminen or karkaaminen (the act of escaping), karkumatka (an escape journey).

See also: Escape (general concept), Deserter, Prison escape, Finnish legal terminology.