lähimmistä

Lähimmistä is a Finnish inflected form of the adjective lähin, meaning the nearest or closest. It is used to refer to the closest items within a group and is formed to agree with the noun it modifies in number and case.

In Finnish, adjectives inflect for number and case to match their nouns. The base form lähin appears in singular nominative as the basic meaning “the nearest.” In plural form used with the elative case, the suffix mistä is added, yielding lähimmistä. This form is used when the phrase denotes origin or source from the nearest items, typically with a plural noun.

A common context for lähimmistä is with the elative plural, for example lähimmistä kaupungeista (from the nearest cities) or lähimmistä vaihtoehdoista (from the nearest options). The construction expresses origin, source, or movement away from those closest items, rather than a simple absolute comparison across all items.

Lähimmistä contrasts with other forms of the same adjective, such as lähimmät (nominative plural) for simply “the nearest [ones]” in a subject position, or lähimpien (genitive plural) for “of the nearest [ones].” The form enables precise grammatical agreement in sentences describing multiple items in relation to a location, choice set, or set of options.

In usage, lähimmistä commonly appears in geography, planning, and data reporting to indicate subgroups defined by proximity. The stem remains lähi- with standard Finnish inflection patterns, making lähimmistä a predictable, regular form within the Finnish adjective system. See also lähin, lähimmäinen, and the related adverbial form lähinnä.