puudutavast

Puudutavast is an Estonian linguistic term representing a specific grammatical form derived from the participle puudutav, which means “touching” or “affecting.” In grammar descriptions it is described as the elative singular form of a participial adjective. The elative case in Estonian typically marks source, origin, or the topic of discussion, and it attaches to noun phrases that include a participial adjective. Therefore puudutavast can appear in phrases where the topic or source concerns something that is touching or emotionally moving.

Etymology and morphology: puudutav stems from the root puudut- (to touch) with the participial suffix -av, forming puudutav (“touching”). The elative suffix -st is then added to create puudutavast. In this construction the word functions within a noun phrase to indicate the topic or source related to touch or affective content.

Usage: The form is primarily encountered in linguistic grammars, language descriptions, and academic writing. It is not a common everyday construction in colloquial Estonian, but it may appear in explanations of case usage or in examples illustrating how elative forms modify topics such as themes or matter related to touch or emotionally salient subjects.

Example (stylized): Räägin puudutavast teemast. Translation: I am talking about a touching (emotionally moving) topic. This demonstrates how puudutavast can be used to specify the topic in the elative case.

See also: puudutav (touching), puudutus (touch, contact), elatiiv (elative case).