alhainen

Finnish

Etymology

Metathesis of alahinen, ala- +‎ -hinen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑlhɑi̯nen/,
• Rhymes: -ɑlhɑinen
• Syllabification^(key): al‧hai‧nen

Adjective

alhainen (comparative alhaisempi, superlative alhaisin)

1. low (of location; close to the ground)
2. low (of quantity)

   alhainen lämpötila ― low temperature

   alhainen hinta ― low price

3. low (undeveloped, primitive)

   alhainen kehitysaste ― low level of development

4. lowly, low, lower (low in social rank or importance)

   alhainen asema ― low rank

   alhaisaateli ― lower nobility

   alhainen talonpoika ― lowly peasant

5. low, ignoble, dishonourable, unworthy, base, contemptible, despicable, abject, degraded (not honorable)

   alhaiset vaikuttimet ― low motives

6. (dialectal) humble (not pretentious or magnificent)

Declension

Synonyms

• (low in location): matala
• (low in quantity): pieni, vähäinen, matala
• (undeveloped): alkeellinen, alkukantainen, kehittymätön, primitiivinen
• (not honorable): halpamainen, matalamielinen, katala, kurja
• (humble): nöyrä

Derived terms

Further reading

• “alhainen”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02