kuolemiin

Kuolemiin is a Finnish grammatical form, specifically the illative plural of the noun kuolema (death). In Finnish grammar, the illative case expresses movement toward or into something; the singular illative of kuolema is kuolemaan, while the plural illative is kuolemiin. The form kuolemiin is formed by taking the stem kuolem- and adding the plural illative ending -iin, resulting in kuolemiin.

Usage and context:

Kuolemiin is relatively rare in everyday language and is most likely to be found in literary, historical, theological, or philosophical texts. In such contexts it can convey the idea of moving toward death in a plural or collective sense, or be used in figurative expressions. Because it is specialized, many speakers will instead use other constructions such as kuolemaan, kuolemasta, or related phrases depending on the intended nuance.

Relation to other forms:

The singular illative kuolemaan contrasts with the plural illative kuolemiin. Like other nouns ending in -ma, kuolema follows regular illative patterns, but the plural form requires the -iin ending, reflecting Finnish plural illative rules.

Notes:

As with many Finnish case forms, the exact usage of kuolemiin is influenced by register, genre, and the author’s stylistic choices. For general discussion of death, speakers commonly use more everyday phrases and constructions rather than kuolemiin. See also Finnish grammar, illative case, and noun classes ending in -ma.