kummitus

 kummitus

MEANING:

Noun: specter, ghost.

DERIVED FROM:

Two synonyms for kummitus are aave and haamu.

EXTRA CREDIT:

In Finnish, Casper the Friendly Ghost is called Casper – Kiltti Kummitus.

kurpitsalyhty

 kurpitsalyhty

MEANING:

Noun: jack o’lantern.

DERIVED FROM:

Kurpitsalyhty comes from kurpitsa (“pumpkin”) + lyhty (“lantern”).

luuranko

 luuranko

MEANING: Noun: skeleton.

DERIVED FROM:

Luuranko comes from luu (”bone”) + ranko (”a long and straight branch of a tree” or ”spine.”)

päästötön

 päästötön

MEANING:

Adjective: exhaust-free, emission-free.

Päästötön appears in our example in the partitive singular, päästötöntä.

DERIVED FROM:

Päästötön comes from päästö (emission) + the suffix –tön which indicates a lack of something.

EXTRA CREDIT:

The whole slogan for the Helsinki Metro, ”50% vesivoima, 50% tuulivoima, 100% paastötöntä” translates as ”50% hydro-electric power, 50% wind power, 100% emission-free.”

 

törmäys

 törmäys

MEANING:

Noun: crash, collision.

DERIVED FROM:

Törmäys comes from the verb törmätä. which means ”to impact,” ”to collide” or ”to crash.”

EXTRA CREDIT:

Let’s translate the whole photo caption, ”Törmäys kentällä. Bussi kolhi lentokonetta Helsinki-Vantaalla” or perhaps  ”Collision on the ground. Bus struck aircraft at Helsinki-Vantaa.”

kiikari, kiikarit

 kiikari (singular), kiikarit (plural)

MEANING:

Noun: binoculars, field glasses.

DERIVED FROM:

Kiikari comes from the Swedish word kikare.

You often see kiikari in the plural, kiikarit.

EXTRA CREDIT:

There is also a verb, kiikaroida, means ”to use binoculars.”

oleskelu

 oleskelu

MEANING:

Noun: Stay, sojourn.

DERIVED FROM:

Oleskelu comes from the verb oleskella (”to stay” or ”to linger”) +‎ –u (a suffix used to form nouns from verbs,).

EXTRA CREDIT:

Let’s translate the whole sign ”Oleskelu ja läpikulku kielletty!” or ”Staying and passage forbidden!”  The best idiomatic translation, if the sign were in English might be ”No loitering or thru-way” or ”No loitering or thoroughfare.”

kumartaa

 kumartaa

MEANING:

Verb: to bow.

EXTRA CREDIT:

You may also see pokata, which means ”to bow in a handsome manner, especially bringing one’s foot to the side and back while bowing.”

A related word is kumartua, which means ”to crouch,” ”to bend over” or ”to stoop.”

köyhät ritarit

 köyhät ritarit

MEANING:

Compound term: French toast (literally ”poor knights”)

DERIVED FROM:

Köyhät ritarit comes from köyhät (“poor”) + ritarit (“knights”); a calque of Swedish fattiga riddare (“poor knights”) or German Arme Ritter (“poor knights”).

EXTRA CREDIT:

In England a dessert of French toast with jam has been called the poor knights of Windsor.

 

todennäköisesti

 todennäköisesti

MEANING:

Adverb:  Probably, likely.

DERIVED FROM:

Todennäköisesti comes from todennäköinen (an adjective meaning ”probable”) +‎ –sti (which can be used as an adverbial suffix corresponding to the English -ly.)

Todennäkoinen is a compound of toden (“true”) +‎ näköinen (“looking”).

EXTRA CREDIT:

Let’s translate the whole Verkkokauppa slogan Todennäköisesti aina halvempi, or ”Always likely to be cheaper.”