Õigustena

Õigustena is Estonian for “as rights” or “as entitlements.” It is the plural translative form of the noun õigus, used when rights are treated as a category or status in themselves, rather than as individual instances. The form is common in formal, legal, policy, and theoretical language, where rights are discussed, enumerated, or asserted.

Grammatical and usage notes: In Estonian, the basic plural of õigus is õigus(d), while the plural translative form that expresses “as rights” is õigustena. This construction signals a transformation or a role, indicating that something is being regarded in the capacity or status of a right. Because of its formal tone, õigustena appears predominantly in legal texts, human rights discourse, administrative documents, and academic writing about rights and entitlements.

Contexts and implications: Using õigustena allows speakers to emphasize rights as recognized entitlements that constrain or authorize actions by states, organizations, or individuals. It can help distinguish rights as normative guarantees from other kinds of attributes or duties.

Examples (illustrative, not exhaustive): Põhiõigused on tunnustatud õigustena. Riigi kohustused tuleb käsitleda õigustena, mis kaitsevad kodanike vabadusi. See vorm clarifies that certain protections or claims are considered rights rather than mere favors or obligations.

Etymology and related terms: Õigus means right or entitlement; related terms include õigustus (justification) and õiguslik (legal, juridical). The form õigustena is a grammatical tool for framing rights as such within Estonian legal and discourse.