värava

Värava is the genitive singular form of the Estonian noun värav. Värav has two primary meanings in everyday use: it can refer to a gate or opening in a fence, wall, or building, and it can denote a goal scored in a sport such as football or hockey. The word is used for both physical entrances and for the scoring unit in games, with the plural forms väravad when referring to multiple gates or goals.

In grammatical terms, värava is the form that marks possession or association with värav in noun phrases. Estonian has no grammatical gender, so the distinction in värava rests on case rather than gender. The form appears in various expressions where razliking a gate or a goal is being described or qualified.

Värav and its inflected forms follow standard Estonian noun morphology. The base noun värav is common in everyday language and appears in a wide range of contexts, from architecture and property to sport reporting and commentary.

See also: värav, the base noun with its full semantic range; Estonian grammar for information on case forms and noun inflection.