peittelevien

Peittelevien is a Finnish grammatical form, specifically the genitive plural of the present active participle peittelevä, which comes from the verb peitellä meaning to conceal or cover up. As a participial adjective, peittelevä describes someone or something that conceals. When inflected for the genitive plural, it becomes peittelevien and is used to modify a following plural noun in phrases such as peittelevien motiivien (“the motives of those who conceal”) or peittelevien toimijoiden (“the actors who conceal”). In practice, peittelevien functions as a grammatical tool rather than a standalone lexical item; its meaning is supplied by the head noun it accompanies.

Usage and notes: Peittelevien is most common in written Finnish—literary prose, journalism, and linguistic or analytical writing—where participles are often pressed into service as adjectives or nominal qualifiers. It does not have an independent sense apart from the combined phrase with its head noun. The form illustrates Finnish’s ability to form complex noun phrases by attaching participial adjectives in various cases and numbers.

Examples:

- Peittelevien motiivien selvittäminen on tärkeää. (The investigation of the motives of those who conceal is important.)

- Tutkimuksessa kiinnitettiin huomiota peittelevien toimien järjestelmällisyyteen. (The study noted the systematic nature of the concealing actions.)

See also: Finnish grammar, participles, adjectival inflection.