piispojen

Piispojen is the Finnish genitive plural form of piispa, the word for bishop. It denotes possession or association with more than one bishop and is used in phrases that link a noun to multiple bishops, such as "piispojen mukaan" (according to the bishops) or "piispojen virat" (the offices of the bishops).

Etymology and form: The Finnish piispa comes from Swedish biskop, which in turn derives from the Latin episcopus and Greek episkopos. The genitive plural is formed by adding the suffix -en to the plural stem, yielding piispojen. This contrasts with the nominative plural piispat, which is used for the bishops as a subject.

Grammar and usage: Piispojen functions as a genitive noun phrase marker, attaching to a head noun to show belonging or relation to multiple bishops. It is common in church-related texts, academic writing, and general Finnish when discussing matters involving more than one bishop. The word is not used as a standalone subject; the nominative form piispat would be used for “the bishops” as the subject of a sentence.

Examples: "Piispojen mukaan tilanne on vakaa." (According to the bishops, the situation is stable.) "Piispojen virat ja vastuut ovat tarkasti määriteltyjä." (The offices and responsibilities of the bishops are clearly defined.)

See also: piispa, episcopus, biskop.