sekundääriseen

Sekundäärinen is a Finnish adjective meaning secondary, typically used in formal or technical contexts to distinguish elements of lesser importance, order, or degree relative to something primary. The form sekundäääriseen is the inflected form of this adjective when describing a noun in certain cases (for example, when the noun is in a form that requires illative or another case ending). The term is a loanword that has entered Finnish from Latin secundanarius via languages such as Swedish or German sekundär, and it is kept in Finnish with the typical -inen adjective suffix.

In usage, sekundäärinen denotes a secondary position or status within a hierarchy, sequence, or system. It is commonly found in scientific, engineering, and academic writing, as well as in policy or legal contexts where a distinction between primary and secondary elements is relevant. Examples include phrases like sekundääärinen vaihe (a secondary phase) or sekundäääriseen rakenteeseen kuuluvat osat (components belonging to the secondary structure). The word can be contrasted with ensisijainen, meaning primary or foremost.

Variants and related forms follow standard Finnish adjective declension. The base form is sekundäärinen, and it can take forms such as sekundääriseen, sekundäärisestä, sekundäärisiin, and so on, depending on case and number. While sekundääärinen remains common in technical language, some contexts may prefer toissijainen as a more everyday synonym.