süüdlasi

Süüdlane is an Estonian noun meaning “culprit” or “the accused” in the context of crime. It denotes a person who is charged with a crime or who is considered to have committed one during criminal proceedings. In legal and journalistic language, süüdlane is used to refer to individuals under investigation or facing charges, without implying guilt before a court verdict. The neutral English equivalents include “accused” or “culprit,” depending on context.

The form süüdlasi is the partitive plural of süüdlane. Estonian nouns decline by case and number, so the word’s full paradigm includes: singular nominative süüdlane; singular genitive süüdlase; singular partitive süüdlast; plural nominative süüdlased; plural genitive süüdlaste; plural partitive süüdlasi. The usage of süüdlasi arises when referring to some or an unspecified number of accused persons within a larger statement, for example, “mitmeid süüdlasi” (several of the accused).

Important nuance: being referred to as süüdlane is a status within the proceedings and does not by itself establish guilt; the court’s verdict determines guilt, using süüdi (guilty). The term appears in legal, media, and everyday Estonian texts and is often seen in contrasts with terms such as süüdistus (an accusation) and kohus (court).

Etymology: süüdlane derives from süü, meaning guilt, with the agentive suffix -dane; the word is neutral in tone and widely used in legal and public discourse. See also süüdistus, kohus, and other Estonian legal terms.