tehis

Tehis is a common Estonian adjective and noun root meaning artificial, man-made, or synthetic. It derives from tehis- meaning artificial, and is used to form a range of compounds such as tehisintellekt (artificial intelligence), tehisvalgus (artificial light), and tehislik (artificial, fake, man-made). As an affix, tehis- typically modifies nouns to indicate non-natural or synthesized nature, distinct from natural or elusively original terms. In linguistic terms, tehis- behaves as a productive prefix in modern Estonian and is commonly found in scientific, technological, and industrial discourse.

In addition to its productive use, Tehis is occasionally encountered as a proper noun or brand-name in Estonian-language contexts. However, there is no single internationally recognized town, organization, or company historically tied to the name Tehis. When used as a proper noun, it usually appears in fictional or commercial settings and is not associated with a stable, widely cited entity.

In scientific and educational writing, Tehis remains the base for explaining how artificial constructs relate to natural ones, for example in discussions of artificial constructs, and the broader field of technology and society where artificial phenomena are contrasted with natural ones. The term thus functions both as a linguistic tool for describing artificiality and as a cultural reference point in discussions about modern technology.