määrinä

Määrinä is a Finnish word that functions as the essive plural form of the noun maara (quantity). The essive form expresses a temporary state or role, and in this sense maaräinä can be understood as “as quantities” or “in the form of quantities.” It is most commonly found in formal or technical Finnish, such as statistics, economics, and data reporting, where results or categories are described by numeric extent rather than by qualitative labels.

Usage and meaning

Māärinä is used to indicate that items, data, or results are being described or presented in terms of quantities. It often appears with verbs like esitetaan (are presented) or jaetaan (are divided). Examples (conceptual, not exhaustive): “Tiedot esitetään maaräinä” (The data are presented as quantities). “Kohteet on jaoteltu maaräinä” (The items are divided into quantities). In singular form, the related word maaränä refers to the state “as a quantity,” while maaräin (and forms like maaräinä) reflect the plural essive usage.

Etymology and form

Määrinä is derived from maara (quantity) with the essive suffix -inä/-inä, a pattern that appears in several Finnish nouns to express a temporary state or role. Like other essive forms, maaräinä is mainly a grammatical tool for describing how something exists or is understood in a particular sense—here, as quantities.

Notes

In ordinary, everyday Finnish, the plural concept is more often expressed with maarät (quantities) rather than maaräinä. Määrinä therefore tends to occur in more formal or technical contexts. See also the entry on the essive case in Finnish grammar and the basic noun maara.