luvatun

Luvatun is the genitive singular form of the Finnish adjective luvattu, meaning “promised.” In Finnish grammar, luvattu is a past participle used as an adjective derived from the verb luvata, “to promise.” When describing a noun in the genitive case, the form becomes luvatun, as in luvatun maan, “of the Promised Land.” The construction is common in religious, literary, or historical texts and is often associated with biblical or mythic contexts.

Luvatun is not a standalone noun; it functions as part of noun phrases that attribute the quality “promised” to another noun. Etymologically, it stems from luvata and the participle luvattu, inflected to luvatun in the genitive singular. Its usage is most frequent in references to well-known phrases such as Luvattu maa, the Promised Land, and in phrases like luvatun maan historia (“the history of the Promised Land”) or luvatun maan tarina (“the tale of the Promised Land”). In modern Finnish, the form appears mainly in scholarly, religious, or literary writing; in everyday language, speakers more commonly use luvattu directly with a noun (for example, luvattu maa) rather than the genitive luvatun.

See also: Luvattu maa, Promised Land, Finnish grammar of adjectives and participles.