määrittääverbistä

Määrittääverbistä is a term used in some Finnish linguistic discussions to describe a class of modifiers that originate from verbs and function as defining attributes of a noun. The term highlights the idea that the content defining a noun can come from a verb-derived form rather than from a separate adjective or a full relative clause.

In Finnish, verb-derived modifiers commonly take the form of participles or participle-like adjectives. Present participles formed with the suffix -va or -vä (for example, juokseva koira, the running dog) act as attributive descriptors of nouns. Past participles, often in the ending -ttu/-tty (kirjoitettu kirje, the written letter; tehty päätös, the made/done decision), also function as modifiers that define or evaluate the noun. Some forms, such as -va/-vä and -ttu/-tty, can be used to produce short, compact expressions that carry a clear verbal sense within a nominal phrase.

Semantically, määrittääverbistä constructions convey information about ongoing actions or completed events related to the noun. They can be restrictive (essential to identifying the referent) or descriptive (providing additional information). Their acceptability and frequency vary by style and register, being common in written Finnish and in descriptive or literary prose, while less frequent in casual speech.

The term is not universally standardized in Finnish grammars and may appear primarily in descriptive or theoretical discussions of word formation and syntax. It is useful for discussing how verb-derived forms participate as attributive modifiers alongside adjectives and relative clauses.

See also: Finnish grammar, participles, attributive adjectives, relative clauses.