maanjäristys

maanjäristys

MEANING:

Noun: earthquake.

DERIVED FROM:

Maanjäristys comes from maan (of the ground or earth) +‎ järistys (”quake”).

 

parkkipirkko

 parkkipirkko

MEANING:

Noun:  a woman who tickets improperly parked vehicles

DERIVED FROM:

Parkkipirkko is a compound of parkki (referring to something being parked) + Pirkko (a Finnish feminine first name).

EXTRA CREDIT:

You may also hear lappuliisa (from lappu, which means ”a tag” plus Liisa, another feminine name) to mean the same thing.

täristä

täristä

MEANING:

Verb: to shake (to move from side to side), to tremble.

RELATED WORDS:

• tärinä is a noun that means ”tremor”
• tärisevä – is an adjective that means shaking, quivering, trembling (for example of someone’s voice)

 

vakoilija

 vakoilija

MEANING:

Noun: a spy, a secret agent.

RELATED TERM:

Vakoilla is a verb meaning ”to spy.”

EXTRA CREDIT:

• vakooja – spy, agent, spook, mole
• urkkija – a snoop

talikko

 talikko

MEANING:

Noun: digging fork, fork, manure fork, pitchfork.

 

autiomaa

 autiomaa

MEANING:

Noun: wasteland, desert.

DERIVED FROM:

Autiomaa is a compound of autio (”desolate” or ”uninhabited”) +‎ maa (”land”).

 

viivoitin

 viivoitin

MEANING:

Noun: ruler, straightedge (a measuring or drawing tool used to make straight lines)

 

EXTRA CREDIT:

You may see this word misspelled as viivotin.

aho

 aho

MEANING:

Noun: glade (grassy open or cleared space in a forest, especially one that is a result of slash-and-burn cultivation)

COMPOUNDS

• ahomansikka – wild strawberry.
• ahoniitty – a glade which is large and rich enough to serve as source of hay for cattle.

 

pesuaine

 pesuaine

MEANING:

Noun: detergent (can refer to any kind of detergent, i.e. for laundry or dishes)

DERIVED FROM:

Pesuaine is a compound of pesu ‎(“washing”) +‎ aine ‎(“agent”)

viitata

 viitata

MEANING:

Verb: (intransitive) To point at/to (with one’s hand); to beckon, wave; to raise one’s hand (in order to get the floor).

DERIVED FROM:

 Viitata comes from viita- ‎(“the weak stem of the noun viitta, which means ”sign”) +‎ -ta.