suurimate

Suurimate is a grammatical form in Estonian that functions as the genitive plural of the superlative adjective suurim, meaning “the biggest” or “greatest.” It is not a standalone word but a inflected form used when the associated noun is in the genitive case, typically in phrases that mean “of the biggest …” or “among the biggest ….”

Morphology and usage

In Estonian, adjectives formed in the superlative can take a genitive plural ending when they describe a noun in genitive plural or when the noun phrase as a whole is in genitive. The base superlative is suurimad (the biggest ones). Its genitive plural form is suurimate. This form then modifies a noun such as linnade (genitive plural of linn, city), yielding phrases like suurimate linnade nimel or suurimate linnade seas, meaning “among the biggest cities” or “in the name of the biggest cities.”

Examples

- suurimate linnade seas = among the biggest cities

- suurimate linnade nimekiri = a list of the biggest cities

Relation to other forms

Suurimate contrasts with the nominative plural suurimad (the biggest ones) and with other case forms of the same adjective. The use of suurimate is governed by standard Estonian agreement rules, where adjectives agree in case, number, and gender with the noun they describe.

See also

Estonian grammar, adjectives, superlatives, genitive case.