postilaatikosta

Postilaatikosta is the elative singular form of the Finnish noun postilaatikko, meaning “from the mailbox” or “out of the mailbox.” It is used in Finnish to indicate the origin of something that comes from the mailbox, such as mail, notices, or other items.

Formation and meaning: Postilaatikko is a compound of posta (mail) and laatikko (box). The elative case, which denotes origin, is formed by adding -sta/-stä to the stem, yielding postilaatikosta. The form is singular; plural forms include postilaatikoista for “from the mailboxes.” This case is a standard part of Finnish grammar and is often encountered in everyday language.

Usage: Postilaatikosta appears in sentences describing items retrieved from the mailbox. For example, “Postilaatikosta löytyi kirje” translates to “A letter was found from the mailbox.” The elative can also be used more broadly to indicate that something originated from or exited the mailbox, such as notices or advertisements that were taken out.

See also: Related terms include postilaatikko (the mailbox itself) and discussions of the Finnish elatiivi (elative) case, which governs this form.

Note: Postilaatikosta is a common example of how Finnish compounds and case endings convey precise spatial or origin information, illustrating the language’s agglutinative morphology.