-uus

See also: uus, Uus, UUs, and uus-

Finnish

Etymology

From . The declension has been massively reworked by analogy:

• The oblique plural forms originally declined like those of the käsi type, but were replaced by plurals in -ks- from the vastaus-type declension, formed on the analogy of the suffix -s.
  • Words that had acquired a nominal sense early on have crossed over entirely to the vastaus declension: e.g. sisarus (“sibling”), originally a semantic extension from *sisarus > sisaruus (“siblinghood”); vanhus (“old person”), originally a semantic extension from *vanhus > vanhuus (“oldness”).
• The long vowel appearing after consonants originates from a contraction *-ude- > *-ue- > -uu- in the genitive singular and nominative plural of bisyllabic stems, in which the third-syllable unstressed e was assimilated. This was generalized to other case forms of such words as well.
• In trisyllabic stems such as korkea → korkeus, rakas → rakkaus, the suffix would in all inflected forms gain secondary stress, preventing the loss of *-d-. From here *-d- was then reintroduced in the gen. sg. and nom. pl. of bisyllabic stems.
• Root-final consonants in trisyllabic stems were by contrast often lost (e.g. *korkeduden > korkeuden, *rakkahuden > rakkauden), leading to the regular retention of short -u- especially after vowels.
  • The rare exceptions to this such as sisar → sisaruus have however also acquired the long-vowel allomorph.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /-uːs/, [-uːs̠]

Suffix

-uus (front vowel harmony variant -yys, linguistic notation -UUs)

1. Forms nouns from adjectives, expressing a quality.

   -uus

   punainen (“red”) → punaisuus (“redness”)

   nerokas (“ingenious”) → nerokkuus (“ingenuity”)

   -yys

   pyhä (“holy”) → pyhyys (“holiness”)

   pitkä (“long”) → pituus (“length”) *not pitkyys

   -us

   hauras (“brittle”) → hauraus (“brittleness”)

   kaunis (“beautiful”) → kauneus (“beauty”)

   komea (“handsome”) → komeus (“handsomeness”)

   -ys

   leveä (“wide”) → leveys (“width”)

Usage notes

As a main rule, the suffix is added to the stem of the adjective, replacing any final vowel:

• kova (“hard”) → kovuus (“hardness”)
• kylmä (“cold”) → kylmyys (“coldness”)
• paksu (“thick”) → paksuus (“thickness”)
• suuri (“big”) → suuruus (“size”)
• sinise- (“blue”) → sinisyys (“blueness”)

The stem usually remains in the strong grade, but some exceptions remain as evidence of the original short vowel. In particular, all derivatives based on comparatives show the weak grade, e.g. alempi (“lower”) → *alemmus > alemmuus (“lowerness”), rather than ˣalempuus.

As noted above, the suffix additionally appears shortened to -us whenever it is preceded by a second vowel. Note that this includes contracted long vowels, as in *harmaɣa > harmaa (“gray”) → harmaus (“grayness”). Derivatives from adjectives ending in -is may in some cases show an unexpected alternation to -e-, as in the above-seen kauneus in place of expected ˣkaunius.

Some exceptions to this overall scheme occur, e.g. äiti (“mother”) → äitiys (“motherhood”), in place of expected ˣäityys. Very rarely, both allomorphs may even occur in parallel, e.g. lapsi (“child”) → lapsuus (“childhood; period of life”), yet lapseus (“childhood; state of being a child”).

Declension

Inflection of -uus (Kotus type 40*F/kalleus, t-d gradation)
nominative		-uus	-uudet
genitive		-uuden	-uuksien
partitive		-uutta	-uuksia
illative		-uuteen	-uuksiin
		singular	plural
nominative		-uus	-uudet
accusative	nom.	-uus	-uudet
	gen.	-uuden
genitive		-uuden	-uuksien
partitive		-uutta	-uuksia
inessive		-uudessa	-uuksissa
elative		-uudesta	-uuksista
illative		-uuteen	-uuksiin
adessive		-uudella	-uuksilla
ablative		-uudelta	-uuksilta
allative		-uudelle	-uuksille
essive		-uutena	-uuksina
translative		-uudeksi	-uuksiksi
abessive		-uudetta	-uuksitta
instructive		—	-uuksin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of -uus (Kotus type 40*F/kalleus, t-d gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative -uuteni -uuteni accusative nom. -uuteni -uuteni gen. -uuteni genitive -uuteni -uuksieni partitive -uuttani -uuksiani inessive -uudessani -uuksissani elative -uudestani -uuksistani illative -uuteeni -uuksiini adessive -uudellani -uuksillani ablative -uudeltani -uuksiltani allative -uudelleni -uuksilleni essive -uutenani -uuksinani translative -uudekseni -uuksikseni abessive -uudettani -uuksittani instructive — — comitative — -uuksineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative -uutesi -uutesi accusative nom. -uutesi -uutesi gen. -uutesi genitive -uutesi -uuksiesi partitive -uuttasi -uuksiasi inessive -uudessasi -uuksissasi elative -uudestasi -uuksistasi illative -uuteesi -uuksiisi adessive -uudellasi -uuksillasi ablative -uudeltasi -uuksiltasi allative -uudellesi -uuksillesi essive -uutenasi -uuksinasi translative -uudeksesi -uuksiksesi abessive -uudettasi -uuksittasi instructive — — comitative — -uuksinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative -uutemme -uutemme accusative nom. -uutemme -uutemme gen. -uutemme genitive -uutemme -uuksiemme partitive -uuttamme -uuksiamme inessive -uudessamme -uuksissamme elative -uudestamme -uuksistamme illative -uuteemme -uuksiimme adessive -uudellamme -uuksillamme ablative -uudeltamme -uuksiltamme allative -uudellemme -uuksillemme essive -uutenamme -uuksinamme translative -uudeksemme -uuksiksemme abessive -uudettamme -uuksittamme instructive — — comitative — -uuksinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative -uutenne -uutenne accusative nom. -uutenne -uutenne gen. -uutenne genitive -uutenne -uuksienne partitive -uuttanne -uuksianne inessive -uudessanne -uuksissanne elative -uudestanne -uuksistanne illative -uuteenne -uuksiinne adessive -uudellanne -uuksillanne ablative -uudeltanne -uuksiltanne allative -uudellenne -uuksillenne essive -uutenanne -uuksinanne translative -uudeksenne -uuksiksenne abessive -uudettanne -uuksittanne instructive — — comitative — -uuksinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative -uutensa -uutensa accusative nom. -uutensa -uutensa gen. -uutensa genitive -uutensa -uuksiensa partitive -uuttaan -uuttansa -uuksiaan -uuksiansa inessive -uudessaan -uudessansa -uuksissaan -uuksissansa elative -uudestaan -uudestansa -uuksistaan -uuksistansa illative -uuteensa -uuksiinsa adessive -uudellaan -uudellansa -uuksillaan -uuksillansa ablative -uudeltaan -uudeltansa -uuksiltaan -uuksiltansa allative -uudelleen -uudellensa -uuksilleen -uuksillensa essive -uutenaan -uutenansa -uuksinaan -uuksinansa translative -uudekseen -uudeksensa -uuksikseen -uuksiksensa abessive -uudettaan -uudettansa -uuksittaan -uuksittansa instructive — — comitative — -uuksineen -uuksinensa

Derived terms

Finnish terms suffixed with -uus

References

• Hakulinen, Lauri. 1941–2000. Suomen kielen rakenne ja kehitys ('The Structure and Development of the Finnish Language'). Helsinki: Otava/Helsingin yliopisto.

Anagrams

• suu

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Latin

Alternative forms

• -vus

Etymology

From the Proto-Indo-European perfect active participle *-wós.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /u.us/, [uʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /u.us/, [uːs] (stressed on the antepenult)

Suffix

-uus

1. forms adjectives on verbal stems

   contiguus, succiduus, vacuus

Usage notes

• Originally forming the perfect active participle, as in ambiguus (“having wandered”), mortuus (“having died”), vacuus (“having been empty”).
• The form -vus is used after vowels, l, and r, and -uus after all other other consonants, with the exception of qu. In this last case, the form -us is used.

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	-uus	-ua	-uum		-uī	-uae	-ua
Genitive	-uī	-uae	-uī		-uōrum	-uārum	-uōrum
Dative	-uō		-uō		-uīs
Accusative	-uum	-uam	-uum		-uōs	-uās	-ua
Ablative	-uō	-uā	-uō		-uīs
Vocative	-ue	-ua	-uum		-uī	-uae	-ua

Derived terms

Latin terms suffixed with -uus