kiirguvad

Kiirguvad is the present active participle form used in Estonian to describe plural subjects that radiate light or energy. It derives from the verb kiirguma, which means to radiate, glow, or shine. In grammar, kiirguvad functions as an attributive participle that agrees with a plural noun, and it can also appear in predicate position with a plural subject. The related singular form is kiirguv (the exact surface form can vary with phonology and context).

Formation and usage: The participle kiirguvad is formed from the stem kiirg- of kiirguma with the present-active participle suffix and the plural ending -vad, signaling an action performed by multiple subjects. It belongs to the semantic field of radiance, and it is used in descriptive, poetic, and scientific styles to convey phenomena that emit light or energy. As an adjective, kiirguvad modifies a plural noun (for example, kiirguvad objektid would describe objects that radiate). It can also participate in verbal predicates to describe ongoing radiative action by several subjects.

Examples: Tähed kiirguvad taevas. This usage conveys that the stars are radiating in the sky, often found in literary or atmospheric descriptions.

See also: kiirguma, Estonian grammar, participles.

Notes: Kiirguvad exemplifies how Estonian forms present-active participles for plural subjects and demonstrates the language’s descriptive capacity for phenomena involving light and energy.