silmämääräinen

Silmämääräinen is a Finnish adjective and adverb used to describe estimates or measurements made by eye rather than with precise instruments. The term denotes approximate, rough values and is common in planning, design, construction, cooking, and other everyday tasks when exact accuracy is not required or feasible.

It derives from silmä ("eye") and määräinen ("determined" or "measured"). The concept conveys judging quantity or dimension through visual inspection instead of formal measurement. The related noun silmämäärä refers to the act or result of eyeballing.

Common phrases include silmämääräinen arvio ("eyeballed estimate") and silmämääräinen mittaus ("eyeballed measurement"). For example: “Pituus mitattiin silmämääräisesti, ja se oli noin viisi metriä.” The key sense is roughness and potential bias, so it is typically avoided in safety-critical work or tasks that require strict tolerances; it serves as a quick, initial assessment or planning aid.

See also: arvio, arviolta, tarkka mittaus. In Finnish technical writing, silmämääräinen may be contrasted with tarkka (precise) and mittausmenetelmät (measurement methods).