möödunud

Möödunud is an Estonian adjective meaning “past, elapsed, bygone.” It is used to describe a time period or event that has already occurred relative to the present moment. As a word, it signals that the reference point is in the time before now, rather than a mere previous position in a sequence.

The form möödunud is derived from the verb mööduma, meaning “to elapse, to pass.” It functions as a participial adjective that agrees with the noun it describes and is commonly placed before the noun, for example: möödunud aasta (the past year), möödunud nädal (the past week), möödunud sajand (the last century).

In usage, möödunud emphasizes that the time has already passed and is complete. It is often used with specific time expressions such as year, week, month, or century, and can appear in both narrative and formal contexts. Examples include: “Möödunud aasta oli keeruline” (The past year was difficult) and “Möödunud nädalal toimus suur festival” (A large festival occurred last week).

Related terms include minevik, a noun meaning “the past,” and eelmine or varasem, which convey notions of preceding or earlier but with different nuances. Möödunud remains a neutral, standard descriptor in written and spoken Estonian and is common in news, literature, and formal speech.