kunstlikest

Kunstlikest is the elative plural form of the Estonian adjective kunstlik, meaning artificial. In Estonian, adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in number and case, and the elative plural form is used with plural nouns when expressing origin or source. The word kunstlikest therefore appears in phrases where the whole noun phrase is in the elative case and refers to multiple artificial things.

Usage and examples

The phrase kunstlikest materjalidest means “from artificial materials.” This construction is common in technical, industrial, and consumer contexts to specify the origin of materials or components. It is often contrasted with looduslikest (from natural) in contexts discussing material sources. For example, a sentence about products might mention tanto szt: “kunstlikest materjalidest valmistatud esemed” to describe items made from artificial materials.

Morphology and function

The form kunstlikest arises from the stem kunstlik- plus the elative plural ending -est. It cannot appear alone; it functions as part of a larger noun phrase with a plural noun in the elative case, such as materjalidest, esemest, or other elative plural forms. The exact ending patterns depend on the noun being modified, as is typical for Estonian adjective declension.

Relation to other forms

Kunstlikest is one member of a broader set of elative plural forms formed from adjectives describing material or origin, such as looduslikest (natural), tehnilistest (technical), or kunstlike (artificial, in other inflected contexts). Understanding kunstlikest helps in parsing and producing material-origin phrases in Estonian.

See also

Estonian grammar, Adjective declension, Elative case, Materials terminology.

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