kiellettään

Kiellettään is a Finnish word that functions as a conditional negative prohibitive. It essentially means "lest they might prohibit" or "so that they might not prohibit." It is a somewhat archaic or formal construction, rarely used in everyday modern Finnish.

The word is formed by combining the infinitive verb "kieltää" (to prohibit, to forbid) with the possessive suffix "-ttään." The "-ttään" suffix in this context indicates a third-person plural subject performing an action in a conditional or purpose clause. Therefore, "kiellettään" implies a situation where a group of people might potentially forbid something.

The grammatical structure of "kiellettään" places it in a subordinate clause, often introduced by conjunctions like "ettei" (so that not) or implied in a sentence that expresses a concern about potential prohibition. For example, one might construct a sentence like "Hän toimi varoen, ettei hänen suunnitelmiaan kiellettään" which translates to "He acted cautiously, so that his plans might not be prohibited." However, more common and natural phrasing in modern Finnish would likely avoid this specific construction.

Due to its rarity, encountering "kiellettään" in contemporary texts is uncommon, and it is more likely to be found in older literature, legal documents, or highly formal contexts. Understanding its meaning requires recognizing the archaic grammatical function of the "-ttään" suffix as a conditional, negative, third-person plural element.