piireiden

Piireiden is the genitive plural form of the Finnish noun piiri, which can mean a circle, district, or an organization or association. In standard modern Finnish, the genitive plural most commonly appears as piirien, used to indicate possession by several circles or groups (for example, piirien jäsenet, the members of the circles). The form piireiden also exists and is recognized in some texts as an alternative genitive plural, though it is less common in contemporary prose.

Usage and context: Piiri can refer to geographic districts within a municipality, subdivisions within organizations, or informal social circles. Consequently, piireiden specifies possession or relation to multiple such circles or groups. Common contexts include organizational structures, inter-group cooperation, or descriptions of activities tied to several circles. For example, piireiden toiminta refers to the activities of the circles, and piireiden johtajat refers to the leaders of the circles. The double form piireiden is often encountered in older writing, regional varieties, or stylistic usage, whereas piirien is generally preferred in current standard Finnish.

Etymology and grammar: Piiri comes from Finnish roots meaning circle or circuit. The language allows both piirien and piireiden as genitive plural forms for this noun, a feature shared by some i-ending words where two genitive plural variants coexist. Choice between -ien and -iden can reflect regional style, era, or author preference, but both convey the same grammatical function in the sentence.

See also: Piiri (Finnish), Finnish grammar, Genitive case.