teiste

Teiste is an Estonian word meaning "the others" or "the rest." It functions as a determiner or pronoun referring to people or things other than those already mentioned or implied. The base adjective is teine, meaning "other" or "second," and teiste appears in inflected forms used for plural and various cases. In standard usage, teiste is commonly seen in phrases such as teiste hulgas (among the others) and teiste seas (among the rest).

Etymology and related forms: Teiste derives from the Estonian word teine, with cognates in other Finnic languages, such as Finnish toinen, reflecting its roots in the Finnic branch of the Uralic language family. The form teiste is a habitual variant used in genitive constructions and other cases within plural contexts.

Usage notes: Teiste is versatile in both spoken and written Estonian. It can modify nouns directly (the others’ X) or appear in fixed expressions that denote inclusion of people or things outside a specified group. In phrases like teiste hulgas, it marks a contrast between a defined group and the remaining or unspecified members.

See also: Estonian grammar, Estonian language, Finnic languages, Proto-Finnic roots.

In summary, teiste helps speakers distinguish a subset from the remainder, functioning as a common, neutral term across different registers in Estonian.