Vocab: õel - mean

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mean; malicious and spiteful towards someone

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Building blocks

"Õel" is a native Estonian word (põlissõna) that means "mean," "malicious," or "spiteful." It conveys negativity, describing someone or something as intentionally unkind. The word has roots in the Finno-Ugric language family.

There is also a related noun - "õelus" (malice)

How to use it:

Here are a few ways the word “õel” can be used ⬇️

Examples

Õelad sõnad jäid tüdruku hinge kriipima

Literally: “Mean words stayed girl's soul to sting”

Idiomatically: “The mean words lingered in the girl’s heart”

Õelad - Adjective - Nominative Plural: "Mean"
sõnad - Noun - Nominative Plural: "words"
jäid - Verb - 3rd Person Plural, Past Tense: "stayed"
tüdruku - Noun - Genitive Singular: "girl's"
hinge - Noun - Partitive Singular: "soul"
kriipima - Verb - ma-Infinitive: "to sting"