trumpieji

Trumpieji is a Lithuanian grammatical form: the masculine plural nominative of the adjective trumpas, meaning short. In practice, trumpieji can function as a substantive when the head noun is understood from context, roughly translating to “the short ones” or “the brief ones.” It can refer to objects that are short in length or to periods of time or sequences described as brief, depending on the accompanying noun.

Etymology and morphology: trumpieji derives from the root trump- with the standard masculine plural nominative ending -ieji. Other forms follow the expected declension: genitive plural trumpųjų, dative plural trumpiesiems, accusative plural trumpuosius. Like other Lithuanian adjectives, its exact form changes to agree with gender, number, and case of the noun it modifies, but as a substantive it stands on its own when the referent is clear.

Usage and nuance: trumpieji is more likely to appear in written or rhetorical contexts than in casual everyday speech. It often carries a sense of brevity or conciseness associated with the described items, and can be used to create a compact or stylistic emphasis in a sentence. Because it refers to a characteristic (shortness) rather than a concrete noun, its meaning depends heavily on context.

See also: Lithuanian language, adjectives, Lithuanian morphology, substantive use of adjectives.