Finnish

Suffix

-uus ‎(front vowel harmony variant -yys)

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

Derived terms

References

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

Latin

Alternative forms

• -vus

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /wus/, [wʊs] (stress falls 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.

Derived terms