perimiä

Perimiä is a Finnish noun form that appears in the partitive plural and is derived from perimä, meaning heritage, inheritance, or legacy. In everyday use, perimä refers to what is handed down from previous generations, including cultural traditions, family stories, and material property. It can also describe inherited traits or characteristics in a broad sense, especially when discussing what a group or individual has received from ancestors.

Grammatical note: Perimä is declined as perimä (nominative), perimän (genitive), perimää (partitive). The plural nominative is perimät, and the partitive plural is perimiä. Perimiä is used when the object of the sentence is in the partitive case, for example: “perimiä arvoja” (inherited values) or “perimiä tarinoita” (inherited stories).

Contexts and usage: The term is common in discussions of culture, history, and genealogy, where it denotes the traditions, beliefs, or practices passed down through generations. It may also describe tangible assets or property transmitted by inheritance, depending on the context. In contemporary Finnish, perimä can emphasize continuity and lineage within a family or community.

Etymology and related terms: Perimä is linked to the verb periyttää, meaning to hand down. Related terms include perintö (inheritance or legacy), periytyminen (heredity/amount handed down), and perinnöllisyys (genetic inheritance). In biological contexts, perinnöllisyys is the standard term, while perimä is more often used in general or figurative language to describe heritage.