murdunud

Murdunud is an Estonian past participle adjective meaning "broken" or "cracked." It is formed from a verb meaning to break and is used to describe objects or situations that have suffered damage through breakage. The word functions both as an attributive modifier (murdunud ese) and as a predicative complement in sentences (Klaas on murdunud).

In grammar, murdunud agrees with the noun it describes in number and case, like other Estonian adjectives. For example, murdunud klaas (nominative singular), murdunud klaasi (genitive singular), murdunud klaasid (nominative plural). The term is common in everyday language, as well as in technical or medical contexts when referring to physical damage, such as murdunud luu (a broken bone), and can also be used in figurative senses to indicate damaged or broken conditions, though its primary usage remains physical breakage.

Etymologically, murdunud derives from the Estonian root murd- related to breaking, with the -unud participial suffix forming a past participle that describes the resultant state. The term is widely understood across dialects and is part of standard Estonian, appearing in literature, journalism, and ordinary speech.

See also: katki (damaged), murdma/murduma (to break; the related verbs that give rise to murdunud).