lõikele

Lõikele is the allative singular form of the Estonian noun lõik, a word that can refer to a section or excerpt within a text, or to a physical cut or incision, depending on context. In Estonian grammar, the allative case is formed with the suffix -le and signals direction toward something or toward a recipient of an action. Consequently, lõikele appears in sentences where the sense is “to the cut” or “to the section,” aligned with the meaning of lõik in the given context.

The base lõik comes from a Finnic root associated with cutting or dividing, and the word has cognates across Finnic languages. Lõikele is one of the inflected forms that the word can take to convey grammatical relations such as direction or target within a sentence. This form demonstrates how Estonian uses cases to express movement toward or toward a part of something.

In contemporary usage, lõikele is most commonly found in reference grammars, dictionaries, and technical or formal prose. It is less frequent in everyday spoken Estonian, where more common constructions may use other grammatical means to express similar ideas. The form is mainly of interest for understanding Estonian case systems and how nouns with multiple senses are inflected to indicate direction or target.

See also: Lõik (section), Lõige (incision).