tervislikul

Tervislikul is an Estonian grammatical form of the adjective tervislik, meaning healthy. In standard usage it functions as the adessive singular form and is typically found in phrases that express mode, basis, or context, rather than as a standalone adjective. The form is most commonly seen in expressions describing how something is done, in health-related discourse, or in guidance about lifestyle choices.

Etymology and grammar

Tervislik originates from tervis (health) with the common Estonian adjective suffix -lik. The adessive suffix -ul attaches to produce tervislikul, which signals “in a healthy manner” or “on a healthy basis” when paired with a noun such as viis (manner) or aluse (basis). This construction allows speakers to describe methods, standards, or frameworks in health-promoting contexts.

Usage and examples

tervislikul is used primarily within phrases that specify manner or basis. Common collocations include tervislikul viisil (“in a healthy way”) and tervislikul alusel (“on a healthy basis”). Examples:

- Toitumiskava on kavandatud tervislikul viisil.

- Toitumine põhineb tervislikul alusel.

- Ta juhendas programmi tervislikul viisil.

Relation to other forms

The adverb form of tervislik is tervislikult, which means “healthily.” The adessive form tervislikul emphasizes the context or basis of the action rather than the manner alone, often functioning in more formal or instructional text.

See also

Estonian grammar: adjectives and case endings; health-related terminology in Estonian; adverbial and adessive constructions.