yleiseen

Yleiseen is the illative singular form of the Finnish adjective yleinen, meaning general, common, or public. The base word yleinen describes something associated with the general category rather than a specific instance. The illative form yleiseen is used to indicate direction toward general use, general purposes, or applicability to general contexts.

Common usage and meaning

In everyday language, yleiseen is most often seen in phrases that express purpose or scope. For example, in Finnish you can say, Tämä laite on suunniteltu yleiseen käyttöön, meaning “This device is designed for general use.” The adjective can also participate in other illative constructions such as yleiseen tarkoitukseen, meaning “for general purposes.” The word's meaning can vary slightly by context between general, common, and public senses.

Grammatical forms

Like other Finnish adjectives ending in -inen, yleinen inflects for case and number. Examples include: nominative singular yleinen, genitive singular yleisen, partitive singular yleistä, and illative singular yleiseen. These forms are used in standard noun-adjective phrases throughout Finnish.

Related terms

The root yleis- appears in related words such as yleisö (the public or audience) and yleisyyden (generality). The term yleinen contrasts with more specific descriptors, but it is versatile across descriptive, normative, and official language.

Notes

Yleinen and its forms are common in formal writing, policy documents, and everyday description alike. Understanding the illative form yleiseen helps in expressing “for general use” and similar general-purpose meanings in Finnish.