synteettisin

Synteettisin is the superlative form of the Finnish adjective synteettinen, meaning most synthetic or most artificial. It is used to describe substances, materials, or processes produced by chemical synthesis rather than occurring naturally, or to express the highest degree of artificiality among a set of items.

Formation and usage: The superlative is formed from the stem synteett- with the ending -isin. The corresponding comparative is synteettisempi. For example: Näytteiden A, B ja C vertailussa näyte C on synteettisin. A common construction is synteettisin aine, meaning "the most synthetic substance." In science and industry, the term is frequently used when comparing polymers, dyes, or pharmaceuticals produced synthetically versus those derived from natural sources.

Etymology: The Finnish synteettinen is a loanword derived from the international term synthetic, via Swedish or English. The root ultimately traces to Greek synthetikos meaning "put together," from sun- (together) and titheîn (to place).

See also: synteettinen, synthetic, artificial.