teenus

Teenus is a noun in Estonian that translates to "service" in English. It refers to the act of providing help or performing work for another person, as well as to a facility, system, or organization that fulfils a need for users or customers. The term is used across everyday language, business, public administration, and technology to denote both actions and offerings that meet consumer or societal needs.

In business and public contexts, teenus appears in many compound forms. Examples include klienditeenindus (customer service), hooldusteenus (maintenance service), transportteenus (transport service), and veebi teenus or veebiteenus (web service) in IT. These compounds cover a range of tangible and intangible offerings, from direct assistance to configurable digital capabilities.

Etymology and usage notes: teenus is derived from the Estonian verb teenima, meaning to serve. It is a flexible term that participates in numerous compound nouns to describe services provided by companies, government bodies, or other organizations. In English translations, teenus most often corresponds to “service,” though specific contexts may require translations such as “service provision,” “assistance,” or “utility.”

See also: Estonian language, service (general concept), customer service, information technology services.