painoina

Painoina is a Finnish grammatical form rather than a separate lexical entry. It represents the essive plural of the noun paino, meaning "as weights" or "in the capacity of weights." The essive case expresses a temporary or role-based state, and in plural it is formed with the suffix -ina, yielding painoina. This form is used to describe items that function or are described as weights within a context.

Morphology and usage. The base word paino means weight or mass. When used in the plural essive, painoina denotes that multiple items are being described as weights or serving the role of weights. For example, in a laboratory report one might write: Kokeessa käytettiin kappaleita painoina 2 kg ja 5 kg. Similarly, a construction description could state: Laite kiinnitettiin paikoilleen, ja kaksi laatikkoa toimivat painoina mittauksissa. The form contrasts with painona (singular essive) or painot (nominative plural), which convey different grammatical or lexical nuances.

Context and relevance. Painoina appears primarily in formal or descriptive Finnish, including scientific, technical, or academic writing, where precise description of objects by function is needed. It is less common in everyday speech, where one would more likely refer to “painot” (weights) or specify the weights directly (e.g., “2 kg ja 5 kg” without the essive construction).

Related topics. The concept relates to Finnish case systems, particularly the essive case, and to the broader use of noun forms to indicate role or state. For learners, recognizing painoina helps in understanding how Finnish can describe objects by function within a sentence.