otsitav

Otsitav is an Estonian adjective formed from the verb otsida, “to search,” with the suffix -tav. It denotes something that is to be searched for or that is capable of being searched. In English, it is often translated as “searchable,” or, in contexts referring to people, as “wanted” or “sought.”

In everyday language, otsitav describes items or information that people intend to locate. Examples include phrases like otsitav dokument (a document to be found) or otsitav kaup (goods being sought by buyers). The expression otsitav isik is widely used in law enforcement and media to refer to a person sought by authorities, conveying urgency and public notice.

In information technology and libraries, otsitav is common in reference to data or records that can be retrieved through a search. Phrases such as otsitav teave or otsitav rekord indicate information that can be located via search operations. A related noun, otsitavus, is used to describe the property of findability or searchable quality in information retrieval and metadata design.

Notes on usage: as a participial adjective, otsitav agrees with the noun it modifies (for example, otsitav teave, otsitava dokumendi) and follows standard Estonian inflection patterns for adjectives. The term is widely understood across general language use and technical contexts to denote findability or the need to locate specific information, people, or items.