sõnade

Sõnade is the genitive plural form of the Estonian noun sõna, meaning “word.” It functions as a grammatical form rather than a standalone word, and it is used to express a relationship between words and another noun in a sentence. In Estonian, the genitive plural is commonly used to indicate possession, association, or descriptive linkage between nouns.

A typical use is in noun phrases where one noun modifies another. For example, Sõnade tähendused means “the meanings of the words,” with sõnade signaling that the meanings pertain to multiple words. Another example could be Sõnade päritolu, meaning “the origins of the words.” Such phrases appear frequently in linguistic, literary, and educational contexts.

In practice, sõnade appears only in contexts requiring the genitive plural, and it contrasts with the nominative plural sõnad (the words). Estonian grammar regularly employs genitive forms to relate nouns within a larger construct, and the exact form of the genitive plural—such as sõnade—can interact with surrounding words through case and number agreement.

Etymology-wise, sõna derives from the Proto-Finnic root common to related Finnic languages, with Finnish sana whose genitive plural is sanojen, illustrating cross-language cognates for the same concept of “word.” The form sõnade thus reflects shared linguistic heritage and the typical Estonian pattern of forming genitive plural endings.

Overall, sõnade is a standard, widely used inflection in Estonian, essential for expressing relationships involving multiple words in a sentence.