kromaattisten

Kromaattisten is a Finnish adjective form meaning chromatic, and in particular it is the genitive plural form of kromaattinen. It is used when describing a noun that is in the genitive plural, for example in phrases like kromaattisten sävyjen kirjo, which can be translated roughly as "the range of chromatic hues." In Finnish grammar, adjectives agree with the noun in number and case, so with a genitive plural noun the adjective takes the genitive plural ending -isten.

Common usage occurs in technical or academic writing related to color theory or music theory. Examples include kromaattisten värien vaikutus (the effect of chromatic colors) and kromaattisten sävelten muunnelmat (variations of chromatic tones). The form kromaattisten should be distinguished from kromaattiset, which is the nominative plural, and from kromaattisista, the elative plural, reflecting different grammatical cases.

Etymology: kromaattinen is derived from the international term chromatic, itself rooted in Greek chrōma meaning color, through the linguistic pathways that brought chromatic into Finnish via Latin and other European languages. The related noun forms in Finnish, such as väri (color) or sävel (tone), frequently participate in chromatic discussions using this adjective.

See also: kromaattisuus (chromaticism), kromaattiset sävelet (chromatic tones), color theory terminology in Finnish.