kummallisin

Kummallisin is a Finnish adjective form meaning “the strangest” or “the oddest.” It is the superlative form of kummallinen, which translates to strange, odd, unusual, or eerie. The word is used when comparing more than two items and identifying the most unusual in a group.

Formation and usage: In Finnish, the superlative of adjectives is typically formed with a dedicated suffix, yielding kummallisin from kummallinen. The plural superlative form is kummallisimmat. The base form kummallinen can also appear in the plural as kummalliset to describe several things that are simply strange, not necessarily the most. The superlative is commonly used with nouns and with demonstratives to designate the ultimate degree within a set, for example: Tämä on kummallisin tarina, jonka olen kuullut. Nämä ovat kummallisimmat tarinat, joita olen kuullut.

Etymology: Kummallinen derives from kumma, meaning a wonder, oddity, or mystery, with the adjectival suffix -inen. The superlative kummaillisin/kummallisin thus signals the utmost degree of strangeness within a context.

Notes: The related adverb kummallisesti means “in a strange way,” which is distinct from the adjectival form’s function of describing a characteristic. Kummallisin is widely used in both spoken and written Finnish to highlight extremal oddness or peculiarity within a defined set.

See also: kummallinen, kumma, kummalliset.