óstöðugar

Óstöðugar is the feminine plural form of the Icelandic adjective ostöðugur (unstable). It is used to describe feminine plural nouns in Icelandic and conveys the sense of lack of stability or consistency in the described state or condition.

In usage, óstöðugar is common in contexts such as science, economics, and everyday language when referring to unstable conditions, processes, or attitudes. For example, óstöðugar aðstæður can mean unstable conditions. The form agrees with the noun it modifies in gender, number, and case, typically appearing in the nominative and accusative plural when describing feminine plural nouns.

Grammatically, ostöðugar follows the Icelandic pattern where adjectives agree with the noun in gender, number, and case. The feminine plural nominative and accusative form is typically rendered as ostöðugar, with the initial vowel diacritic and the internal ö occurring in the stem.

Etymology-wise, ostöðugur is formed from the negative prefix ó- attached to stöðugur, meaning stable or steady, with the meaning “unstable.” The word reflects standard Icelandic morphology for comparing qualities and describing states of instability.

See also: ostöðugur, unstable (as a concept), Icelandic adjectives in strong and weak declensions.

Notes: The article treats óstöðugur/óstöðugur as the base masculine form, with ostöðugar as the corresponding feminine plural adjective form. For precise usage, consult Icelandic grammar references, as inflection patterns can vary with definiteness and syntactic position.