Definify.com
Definition 2024
syli
syli
English
Noun
syli (plural sylis)
- The monetary unit of Guinea between 1971 and 1985, subdivided into 100 cauris.
Finnish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈsyli/
- Hyphenation: sy‧li
Etymology 1
From Proto-Finnic *süli, from Proto-Uralic *süle. Cognates include Estonian süli, Hungarian öl.
Noun
syli
- arms (in reference to embracing or holding in one's both arms)
- Otin hänet syliini.
- I took her in my arms.
- Otin hänet syliini.
- lap (space over upper legs of a seated person)
- Poika istui äitinsä sylissä.
- The boy was sitting on his mother's lap.
- Poika istui äitinsä sylissä.
- (figuratively) lap (place of rearing and fostering)
- Synonym of sylillinen (armful).
Declension
| Inflection of syli (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | syli | sylit | |
| genitive | sylin | sylien | |
| partitive | syliä | sylejä | |
| illative | syliin | syleihin | |
| singular | plural | ||
| nominative | syli | sylit | |
| accusative | nom. | syli | sylit |
| gen. | sylin | ||
| genitive | sylin | sylien | |
| partitive | syliä | sylejä | |
| inessive | sylissä | syleissä | |
| elative | sylistä | syleistä | |
| illative | syliin | syleihin | |
| adessive | sylillä | syleillä | |
| ablative | syliltä | syleiltä | |
| allative | sylille | syleille | |
| essive | sylinä | syleinä | |
| translative | syliksi | syleiksi | |
| instructive | — | sylein | |
| abessive | sylittä | syleittä | |
| comitative | — | syleineen | |
Derived terms
|
|
Compounds
Etymology 2
Calque from Swedish famn (“lap, measure of length”).
Noun
syli
- fathom (traditional measure of length equal to three cubits; see usage notes below)
- (nautical) fathom
- (archaic) A measure for chopped firewood, about four cubic meters.
Declension
Although derived from the noun meaning the body part, this word is inflected differently (singular genitive sylen for the length measure, and sylin for the body part).
| Inflection of syli (Kotus type 24/uni, no gradation) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | syli | sylet | |
| genitive | sylen | sylien sylten |
|
| partitive | syltä | syliä | |
| illative | syleen | syliin | |
| singular | plural | ||
| nominative | syli | sylet | |
| accusative | nom. | syli | sylet |
| gen. | sylen | ||
| genitive | sylen | sylien sylten |
|
| partitive | syltä | syliä | |
| inessive | sylessä | sylissä | |
| elative | sylestä | sylistä | |
| illative | syleen | syliin | |
| adessive | sylellä | sylillä | |
| ablative | syleltä | syliltä | |
| allative | sylelle | sylille | |
| essive | sylenä | sylinä | |
| translative | syleksi | syliksi | |
| instructive | — | sylin | |
| abessive | sylettä | sylittä | |
| comitative | — | sylineen | |
Usage notes
When Finland belonged to Sweden, the Finnish cubit (kyynärä) was equal to Swedish aln (59.4 cm), thus making the length of syli 178.2 cm (= 70.16 inches). Under the Russian rule (1809–1917) the definition of kyynärä was modified to correspond with Russian аршин (aršin) (71.12 cm), thus lengthening syli to 213.36 cm (= 84 inches). In nautical terminology, syli corresponds to English fathom (72 inches = 182.88 cm).