tellimuse

Tellimus is an Estonian noun meaning an order, request, or directive. In contemporary usage it most commonly denotes a purchase order or customer order in commerce and logistics. It can also refer to a written instruction issued by an authority, although this sense is less common in everyday speech; in formal legal or administrative contexts, terms such as määrus or käsk are more typical.

Tellimuse is the genitive singular form of tellimus. The word comes from the verb tellima, to order or request, and is cognate with Finnish tilaus (order) and related Finnic terms. Plural nominative is tellimused, and the genitive plural is tellimuste.

Common phrases include tellimuse number (order number), tellimuse kinnitamine (order confirmation), tellimuste täitmine (order fulfillment), and tellimuse staatus (order status). In e-commerce, a customer places a tellimus; after processing, the seller assigns a tellimuse number and updates the tellimuse staatus. In procurement, companies issue tellimused to suppliers to request goods or services.

The term also appears in older or more formal texts to denote a written instruction or command, though modern usage tends to favor more specific terms for directives. Related concepts include tellima (to order), tellija (customer), and general discussions of orders and directives in business and administration.