nõusid

Nõusid is a term in the Estonian language that refers to dishes or tableware when used in the partitive plural form. In ordinary use, it appears as the object of verbs such as pesema (to wash), with examples like Ma pesen nõusid, meaning I wash the dishes. The form signals an indefinite quantity of dishware rather than a specific set.

Etymology and form: The base noun is nõu, meaning a dish or container. Its plural nominative is nõud, and the partitive plural form is nõusid. This grammatical construction is common for expressing portions or amounts of countable objects in Estonian, especially with activities like cleaning or using household items.

Usage notes: Nõusid is a generic term for dishware in everyday language and is not tied to a particular brand, model, or category. It can refer to any assortment of dishes in a household context, such as a pile of dishes to be washed or a collection in a kitchen.

Capitalization and terminology: The capitalized form Nõusid would be unusual outside of a title or the beginning of a sentence. In normal text, the word appears in lower case unless it starts a sentence or serves as a proper noun in a specific context.

See also: nõu, nõud. These related terms cover the singular form and the plural nominative for the same semantic field, providing a sense of the word’s basic vocabulary in Estonian.