runsasta

Runsasta is the partitive singular form of the Finnish adjective runsas, meaning abundant or plentiful. It is used before a mass or indefinite quantity noun to describe an abundance rather than a specific count. In Finnish grammar, adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in number and case, and when signaling an indefinite amount with a mass noun, the partitive form is employed. Examples include runsasta ruokaa (abundant food) and runsasta vettä (abundant water).

The corresponding plural form is runsaita, as in runsaita tomaatteja (abundant tomatoes). Runsasta can appear in fixed phrases such as runsasta kiitosta (much praise) or runsasta tukea (substantial support). The word tends to be used in neutral or positive contexts, emphasizing quantity rather than quality.

Etymology traces runsas to the Finnish root meaning abundant, with the form runsasta deriving from the partitive used for non-countable or indefinite quantities. The adjective can take other cases and numbers as required by the noun it modifies, while the adverbial form runsasti conveys how an action is performed “abundantly” or “in large measure,” distinct from the adjective form.

Usage notes: runsasta describes quantity with mass or unspecified nouns and tends to appear when the speaker wants to express plenty rather than exact numbers. It contrasts with more exact quantifiers or with the adverbial runsasti, which modifies verbs rather than nouns.

See also: Finnish adjectives, partitive case, mass nouns in Finnish, kiitos (praise) phrases.