pisteinen

Pisteinen is a Finnish adjective that describes surfaces, patterns or textures consisting of small dots or specks. The term is used to indicate a dotted or speckled appearance, as opposed to uniform or striped patterns.

Etymology and meaning: Pisteinen is formed from the stem piste, meaning dot or mark, with the common Finnish adjectival suffix -inen. The word conveys a sense of regularly or densely distributed small points that create a grainy or mottled look.

Usage: The word is widely used in design, textiles and fashion to describe polka-dot or dotted patterns, for example pisteinen kuosi or pisteinen kangas. In biology and zoology, pisteinen can describe fur, plumage or skin that shows speckles or small spots, such as pisteinen turkki. In geology or meteorology, it may describe speckled textures on rocks or surfaces, as well as other contexts where a dotted pattern is evident.

Relation to other terms: Pilkullinen is a closely related term often used for animals with spots, while pisteinen emphasizes the appearance of small, dot-like components. Raitainen (striped) describes a contrasting pattern. In technical or design terminology, more specific phrases such as pistekuvio or kuviointi may be used to refer to dotted patterns in a precise way.

See also: piste, pilkullinen, pistekuvio, kuviointi, raidoitus.