lapsellistumisena

Lapsellistumisena is a Finnish grammatical form used to refer to the state or act of becoming childish, i.e., childishness or immaturity as a phenomenon. It derives from the noun lapsellistuminen, which denotes the process of growing more childish, combined with the translative case ending -na/-nä that marks a state, role, or perspective into which something is cast. In practice, lapsellistumisena can be translated roughly as “as childishness” or “in the sense of childishness.”

Etymology and form: The base adjective lapsellinen means childish, and the related verb lapsellistua means to become childish. The noun lapsellistuminen describes the process, and the translative form lapsellistumisena specifies the role or manner in which that process is being considered or observed. This construction is common in descriptive or analytical Finnish, especially in academic or critical prose.

Usage and nuances: Lapsellistumisena is typically used in contexts discussing behavior, attitudes, or social phenomena that appear to regress toward childishness. It often carries a critical or evaluative nuance, pointing to a lack of maturity or adult responsibility. The term is more common in formal or literary Finnish than in everyday speech, and it may appear alongside related terms such as lapsellisuus (childishness) or lapsellisesti (childishly).

See also: lapsellisuus, lapsellinen, lapsellistua.

Note: As with most Finnish translative forms, lapsellistumisena is most natural in sentences that frame a phenomenon “as” or “in the sense of” childishness, rather than as a straightforward noun predicate.