vaateille

Vaateille is the allative plural form of the Finnish noun vaate, meaning a garment or piece of clothing. It belongs to the allative case, which marks direction toward or purpose for something. The singular form is vaatteelle and the plural form is vaatteille. The allative is commonly used to indicate the target of an action, the recipient in a transfer, or the intended use of an object.

Usage notes:

- Purpose or suitability: vaatteille tarkoitetut or vaatteille tarkoitettu describes things intended for clothing. Example: Tämä pesuaine on vaatteille tarkoitettu. (This detergent is intended for clothes.)

- Indirect recipient or beneficiary: In constructions about distributing or organizing resources for clothing, vaatteille can designate the target of the activity, such as “vaatteille” in contexts like donations or supplies for clothing.

Etymology and morphology:

The form is built from vaate (garment) plus the allative suffix -lle, with the plural -et forming vaatteet before attaching -lle to produce vaatteille. This pattern exemplifies how Finnish uses case endings to express destination or purpose.

Functions in language:

Vaateille tends to appear in phrases describing products, instructions, or arrangements where clothing is the focus of use or provision. It contrasts with other cases that express origin (elative), source (genitive), or location, showing the flexibility of the Finnish case system in signaling target or purpose.

See also: Finnish grammar, Allative case, Noun declension, Vaate.