kerros

Kerros is a Finnish noun meaning layer or floor. It is used to describe a distinct level in a building, a sheet or layer within a material, or a stratum in geology and stratigraphy. The term appears in many compound formations and inflected forms in Finnish.

In architecture, kerros most often refers to a floor of a building. The plural kerrokset denotes multiple levels. Common compounds include kerrostalo, a multi-storey apartment building. In everyday use, the number of floors is stated with the phrase viisi kerrosta (five floors).

In geology and materials science, kerros denotes a layer or stratum within rocks, sediments, or layered composites. The related noun kerrostuma means a specific bed or stratum, and the adjective kerroksellinen describes a laminated or layered structure. The adverb kerroksittain means layer by layer.

In everyday language, kerros also appears in non-building contexts, such as layers of paint or the layers in a layered dessert. The compound kerroskakku refers to a layer cake, and kerroksellinen describes multi-layered structures.

See also: kerrostalo, kerrostuma, kerroksittain, kerroksellinen, kerrokset.