mittakaavallisen

Mittakaavallinen is a Finnish adjective derived from the noun mittakaava, which translates to "scale," "proportion," or "scope." The term is formed by adding the adjectival suffix -lainen to the root, a common morphological process in Finnish that turns nouns into adjectives meaning "pertaining to" or "characterized by." In modern Finnish usage, mittakaavallinen describes something that is considered within a particular scale or proportion, often used in contexts of design, architecture, economics, and media studies.

The root illation, mittakaava, itself comes from the proto‑Finnic root *mittaka, meaning "measurement" or "ratio." Combined with the suffix -vainen, the resulting word mittakaavallinen carries a nuance of being conducive to measurement or structured scaling. It is frequently used in compound phrases such as mittakaavallinen palkka (scaled salary) or mittakaavallinen suunnittelu (scaled planning).

In architectural and urban planning literature, mittakaavallinen can refer to designs that respect human scale, ensuring that buildings or spaces maintain a proportionate relationship with their environment and with human users. In financial contexts, it denotes financial metrics that are normalized or scaled against a reference figure, helping to assess relative performance.

Words related to mittakaavallinen include mittakaava (the noun), mittakaavan (genitive form), and mittakaavaskala (scale). The adjective is gender-neutral and can be used with both animate and inanimate nouns. Its use is mostly formal and academic; in everyday speech, speakers might instead use simpler terms like kohtuullinen (reasonable) or sopiva (suitable).