tehislikke

Tehislikke is the partitive plural form of the Estonian adjective tehislik, meaning artificial or synthetic. It is used with plural nouns in the partitive case, typically to indicate an indefinite quantity or a non-definite object, as is common in Estonian grammar when the action involves an unspecified amount or a non-complete set.

Morphology and usage context: The base adjective tehislik forms tehislikke in the partitive plural (for example, tehislikke tooteid). The word functions to describe plural nouns in a non-definite or incomplete sense, often after verbs of purchase, consumption, or description, or in negated clauses where the object is not fully specified. It is comparable to other Estonian adjectives that inflect to match case and number of the head noun.

Typical meanings and contexts: Tehislikke is used to refer to items or qualities that are artificial or synthetic, such as artificial products or materials, flavors, or substances. It can appear in technical writing, journalism, or everyday language when distinguishing between natural versus artificial alternatives.

Examples:

- Ma ostsin tehislikke tooteid poest. (I bought artificial products from the store.)

- Tehislikke materjale kasutati ehituses. (Artificial materials were used in construction.)

Related terms: tehislik (the base adjective), kunstlik and sünteetiline are other Estonian terms conveying related ideas of artificial or synthetic, though usage can vary by context.