-lain

From Proto-Finnic *-lainen. Cognates include Finnish -lainen and Estonian -lane.

The sense "kind of" developed separately, ultimately from a combination of Old Swedish slagh +‎ -in, probably via Finnish -lainen.

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /-lɑi̯ne/, [-ɫɑi̯n]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /-lɑi̯n/, [-ɫɑi̯n]

-lain (front vowel variant -läin)

1. Used to form ethnonyms from plural ethnonyms and names of locations.

   ‎ižorat (“Ingrians”) + ‎-lain → ‎ižoralain (“Ingrian”)

2. Used to form nouns for people that are characterised by the suffixed noun.

   ‎api (“help”) + ‎-lain → ‎apilain (“helper”)

3. Used to form adjectives indicating a smaller degree of a quality; kind of

   ‎yks (“one, same”) + ‎-lain → ‎yhenlain (“similar”)

• In its oblique forms, this suffix always carries secondary stress in polysyllabic words.
• When used in the sense "kind of", the suffix not always follows vowel harmony:

  ‎min (“of what?”) (front vocalic) + ‎-lain → ‎millain, milläin (“what kind of?”) (front or back vocalic)

• Note that due to assimilation, the suffix may take the form -llain when following a word originally ending in -n:

  ‎kaiken (“all”) (genitive) + ‎-lain → ‎kaikellain (“all kinds of”)

• Arvo Laanest (1966) “Ижорский Язык”, in Финно-Угорские и Самодийские языки (Языки народов СССР), volume 3, Moscow: Наука, page 107

From Proto-Finnic *-lainen.

-lain

1. Forms nouns with the meaning of "inhabitant", or agent nouns that have the characteristic of the noun that it is derived from

   viro (“Estonia”) → virolain (“an Estonian person”)

   õma (“own”) → õmalain (“relative, ally, one's own people”)

   ühsi (“one”) → ühsilain (“lonely person”)