kõrgustel

Kõrgustel is an Estonian word, the plural adessive form of kõrgus ("height" or "altitude"), and is commonly translated as "at heights" or "at (high) altitudes." Grammatically, it combines the noun stem kõrgus with the plural adessive ending -tel, used to indicate location or presence on or at something in the plural. Pronunciation is approximately [ˈkɤrɡustel], with primary stress on the first syllable.

In literal use, kõrgustel describes being at elevated places or altitudes: for example, Lennukid lendavad kõrgustel ("The airplanes are flying at altitudes"). It can also appear in weather, aviation and mountaineering contexts, and in descriptions of landscapes: mäed asuvad kõrgustel ("the mountains are located at heights").

Kõrgustel may be used figuratively to denote prominence or achievement, analogous to English "on high" or "at the top," though other Estonian constructions (such as kõrgel or kõrgustel olev) are more common for figurative senses. Related forms include the nominative kõrgus, the partitive kõrgust and the singular adessive kõrgusel. The term illustrates a common Estonian case function, where adessive endings express spatial relations comparable to English prepositions like "on" or "at."