tarttuvista

Tarttuvista is a Finnish word-form, not a standalone noun. It is the elative plural form of the adjective tarttuva, which describes something that clings, adheres, or is catchy. The elative case expresses origin or source, so tarttuvista roughly means “from the clingy/adhesive ones” or “of the clingy/adhesive ones.” In metaphorical use, tarttuva can also mean “catchy,” as in music or phrases.

Etymology and grammar

The base adjective tarttuva derives from the verb tarttua, meaning “to cling” or “to adhere.” In Finnish, tarttuva is formed with the suffix -va/-vä to create a present-active participle-like adjective. The plural elative suffix -ista/-istä is then added to create tarttuvista for a plural noun phrase in the elative case. Thus tarttuvista pinnoista would be “from the adhesive surfaces,” while tarttuvista kertosäkeistä would be “from the catchy choruses.”

Usage

Tarttuvista appears mainly in descriptive phrases where the speaker wants to highlight adhesiveness or catchiness of multiple items. It is commonly used with physical nouns (surfaces, substances) and with metaphorical senses (catchy ideas, phrases, melodies). Because it is a case-inflected form, tarttuvista must agree with the number and case of the head noun it modifies.

See also

Tarttuva, tarttua, Finnish adjective forms, Finnish elative case.

Example

Tarttuvista kertosäkeistä on tullut tämän pop-kappaleen tunnus. (From the catchy choruses has come the hallmark of this pop song.)

Tarttuvista pinnoista erittyy tahmea haju. (From the adhesive surfaces, a tacky smell emanates.)