taust

Taust is a noun in Estonian meaning background or backdrop. It refers to the set of circumstances, facts, or environment that surround a person, an object, an event, or a statement, as well as the physical backdrop in a visual composition. In discourse, taust provides context that helps interpret information, such as a person’s education, experience, and influences.

In visual arts and media, taust denotes the visible backdrop behind a subject in a painting, photograph, film set, or stage design. The choice of taust can affect mood, balance, and the emphasis placed on foreground elements, and it can be used deliberately to create contrast or context for the main subject.

In everyday language and computing, taust is used to describe actions or processes that occur out of sight or concurrently with the foreground task. Phrases include taustal töötav (working in the background) and taustaprogramm (a background program). The concept also appears in data and information contexts as background information about a topic or source.

Common uses of taust thus bridge everyday speech, the arts, and technology, reflecting its role as the contextual or environmental layer that surrounds and informs objects, actions, and narratives. Related terms include kontekst (context) and tausta (the genitive/partitive forms used in various phrases).