vanemlikku

Vanemlikku is an Estonian adjective form related to parenthood, derived from vanem meaning parent and the suffix -lik, which forms adjectives describing a characteristic or relation. The form vanemlikku is used with nouns in certain grammatical cases to express concepts connected to being a parent or the parental sphere. In practice, it appears most often in phrases referring to rights, duties, or aspects of parenting, such as vanemlikku hoolt (parental care), vanemlikku õigust (parental rights), vanemlikku vastutust (parental responsibility), and vanemlikku rolli (parental role).

In legal and administrative contexts, vanemlikku specifies the scope of parental rights and obligations, often occurring in family law, child welfare, and guardianship discussions. In social sciences and public discourse, the term is used to discuss the influences and responsibilities associated with parenting, including involvement in a child’s upbringing, education, and wellbeing. The word is also found in educational and policy texts when distinguishing parental aspects from other forms of caregiver or guardian roles.

Etymology and related terms: vanemlikku comes from vanemlik, meaning parental, with inflection for syntactic fit. Related concepts include vanemlikkus (parenthood or the state of being parental), vanemlus (parenthood or parenthood-related domain), and various collocations describing parental involvement and rights.

See also: vanemlikkus, vanemlus, perekond (family), laps (child).