metrisissä

Metri­sissä is the inessive plural form of the Finnish adjective metrinen, meaning metrical or relating to meter. In Finnish, adjectives agree with the noun in number and case, so metrisissä appears when the noun is plural and in the inessive case, as in metrisissä runoissa (“in metrical poems”) or metrisissä konteksteissa (“in metrical contexts”). By itself, metrisissä is not a stand-alone concept; it functions as an adjective in a phrase that specifies adherence to a metric structure.

Etymology and form: The word derives from metri, the root for meter, combined with the suffix -inen to form metrinen (metrical). The plural inessive ending -issä is then added to yield metrisissä. This morphological pattern is typical in Finnish for describing plural nouns in a location or context, such as “in …” contexts.

Usage and scope: Metrisissä is common in linguistic, literary, and pedagogical discussions about verse, rhythm, and prosody. It signals that the described elements follow a specific metrical pattern rather than being free verse. Examples include phrases like metrisissä runoissa, metrisissä jakeissa, or metrisissä teksteissä. The term is primarily descriptive, used to categorize or analyze text according to its metrical properties, rather than to denote a distinct separate theory.

Relation to other concepts: In Finnish poetics, metrisissä contrasts with non-metrical or free verse forms (vapaa mitta). While the exact meters vary among traditions, the usage of metrisissä remains a standard way to indicate that a passage adheres to a metric scheme.

See also: Finnish prosody, metre in poetry, Kalevala metre, free verse, metrical analysis.