keskeistä

Keskeistä is the partitive singular form of the Finnish adjective keskeinen, meaning central, pivotal, or essential. In Finnish, keskeinen describes elements, ideas, or qualities that are central to a topic. Keskeistä is used when the attribute is expressed as a partial object or in predicative constructions with the verb olla (to be) or in phrases such as keskeistä on, which introduces core points or essential considerations. The word appears frequently in academic writing, reports, and public discourse when summarizing core findings or important aspects.

Etymology and forms: Keskeinen derives from keski- meaning center, related to other center-related words like keskus and keskusta. The form keskeistä serves as the partitive singular used in contexts like keskeistä tietoa (essential information) or as a predicative complement in clauses such as Keskeistä tässä on se, että... (What is essential here is that...). Other inflected forms include keskeisen (genitive) and keskeiset (plural).

Usage notes: Keskeistä tends to emphasize what is most important within a discussion, report, or argument. It often co-occurs with nouns in the partitive case to indicate essential information or core aspects, for example, Keskeistä tietoa löytyi raportista. It can also function as a predicate complement in phrases like Se on keskeistä. While synonymous with olennaista and tärkeää, keskeinen carries a stronger sense of centrality or fundamental importance within a system or argument.

See also: keskeinen, olennaista, tärkeää, keskus.