syytön

Syytön is a Finnish adjective meaning not guilty; innocent; blameless. It is used to describe a person or party who has not committed a crime or wrongdoing, or who is free from fault in a given situation. The word is closely tied to legal and moral contexts, but it is also used in everyday speech.

Etymology and related forms: syytön is formed from the noun syy, meaning guilt or fault, with a negative suffix. The related noun syyttömyys denotes the state or quality of being innocent. The common antonym is syyllinen, meaning guilty. In legal language, the phrase todettiin syyttömäksi is typical, meaning "was found not guilty."

Usage: In ordinary Finnish, syytön is most frequently used predicatively with the verb olla: Hän on syytön. It can also appear in attributive position before a noun, for example syyttö ihminen (an innocent person), though predicative use is more common in legal and formal contexts. The noun form syyttömyys is used when discussing innocence as a concept, rather than describing a specific person.

See also: Syy (guilt or fault), syyte (charge or accusation), syyllinen (guilty), syyttömyys (innocence), todistus (evidence), oikeus (law/justice).

In summary, syytön is the standard Finnish term for not being guilty or innocent, widely understood in both everyday speech and formal or legal discourse.