sanastona

Sanastona is the essive form of the Finnish noun sanasto, meaning vocabulary, lexicon, or glossary. In Finnish grammar, the essive case expresses a temporary state or role. When sanasto is put in the essive, sanastona roughly translates as “as a vocabulary item” or “in the capacity of a vocabulary.” It is used primarily in linguistic, lexicographic, or educational contexts to describe how a term functions within a list of terms or a glossary.

Formation and usage: The form is created by adding the essive suffix -na to the stem sanasto, producing sanastona. It is distinct from the translative -ksi, which expresses “into” or “as” in the sense of becoming something (for example, opettajaksi, “as a teacher”). The choice between essive -na and translative -ksi changes nuance: -na describes a temporary state or role, as in “tätä sanaa käytetään sanastona” (this word is used as a term in the vocabulary). In most everyday speech, sanastona is uncommon outside technical or linguistic writing.

Examples and notes: In a glossary, you might encounter phrases that use sanastona to indicate the word’s function within the vocabulary. See also sanasto, the essive case, and Finnish grammar.