võrdlevast

Võrdlevast is a grammatical form in Estonian, used as the elative singular of the adjective võrdlev, which denotes the comparative degree of adjectives and certain adverbs. In Estonian grammar, adjectives decline for case and number, and those formed from stems ending in -lev commonly appear with the elative suffix -ast. Thus võrdlevast means “from the comparative” or “of the comparative” when describing a noun in the elative case.

Usage and meaning: The elative case expresses movement from or origin in a figurative sense, and the adjective must agree with the noun it modifies. Therefore, võrdlevast accompanies a noun in the elative case, for example in phrases like võrdlevast olukorrast meaning “from the comparative situation.” In ordinary prose, such a construction is typically found in linguistic descriptions, theoretical discussions, or complex noun phrases rather than in everyday speech.

Notes: Võrdlevast should be distinguished from võrdlevas, which is the inessive singular form meaning “in the comparative,” and from other related forms used in grammatical descriptions. The term võrdlev itself refers to the comparative degree used for adjectives and some adverbs, contrasting with the positive (base) form and the superlative.

See also: võrdlev (comparative degree), võrdlus (comparison), superlatiiv (superlative).