Ihmetystä

Ihmetystä is the Finnish partitive form of the noun ihmetys, commonly used to denote wonder, amazement, puzzlement or surprise. In everyday usage ihmetystä appears in phrases describing a reaction — for example Se herätti ihmetystä (It aroused astonishment) — and conveys an emotional or cognitive response to something unexpected, curious or difficult to explain.

Etymology and form

The root ihme means "miracle" or "wonder"; the noun ihmetys is formed with the nominalizing suffix -tys. Ihmetystä is the partitive singular form used in many syntactic constructions in Finnish, especially after verbs like herättää (to arouse), aiheuttaa (to cause) and kokea (to experience). Pronunciation approximates to [ˈihmetystæ].

Usage and related vocabulary

Ihmetystä overlaps with related words such as ihmetellä (to wonder, to be puzzled) and ihme (a wonder or marvel). It is common in both spoken and written Finnish to express surprise, to note something inexplicable, or to signal skepticism. Collocations include herättää ihmetystä, saada ihmetystä and aiheuttaa ihmetystä.

Cultural note

Because of its roots in ihme, the concept often carries neutral-to-mild emotional coloring and is used broadly, from mundane puzzlement to admiration of remarkable phenomena.