maallisten

Maallisten is the genitive plural form of the Finnish adjective maallinen, which means worldly, secular, or earthly. It is used to indicate possession or association with worldly things or people, and often appears before a noun in genitive case. For example, maallisten arvojen means “of worldly values,” and maallisten asioiden means “of worldly affairs.” When used as a standalone noun, the corresponding nominative plural is maalliset, referring to “the worldly ones.”

Etymology and grammar: maallinen derives from the noun maailma (world) with the compound suffix -llinen, which marks the quality of having or relating to. In the genitive plural, adjectives that modify a plural noun take the form maallisten to agree with the noun in number and case. Finnish adjectives do not have separate gender forms, and their inflections align with the noun they describe.

Usage: In religious, philosophical, or sociocultural discourse, maallinen often contrasts with spiritual or religious considerations. It conveys a sense of material or temporal concerns as opposed to nonmaterial or transcendent aspects. Common constructions include maallisten asioiden hoitaminen (handling worldly affairs) and maallisten arvojen kritiikki (critique of worldly values).

See also: maallinen, maailman, henkinen, hengellinen, taivaallinen. These terms provide related concepts in Finnish regarding material versus spiritual or earthly versus heavenly dimensions.

Notes: Maallisten is not a proper noun; it remains lowercase in standard Finnish and is used primarily as an attributive or possessive modifier within noun phrases.