Käiv

Käiv is a stem or root form found in Estonian that appears in words related to starting, triggering, or initiating processes. In standard usage, käiv itself is not typically used as a freestanding verb or noun; its significance is primarily as the base for related words.

In Estonian, the root käiv is most commonly seen in verbs and nouns formed from the idea of starting up or activating. The related verb is käivitama, meaning to start up or to boot, and the related noun käivitus denotes initiation or startup. Compounds and inflected forms build on the same semantic field, such as käivitub meaning “it starts” or “it boots up,” and käivitusprotsess meaning “initialization process.”

Etymologically, käiv is linked to the broader Finnic vocabulary around bringing something into operation. Its meaning is closely tied to activation, triggering, and the commencement of a state or action. In technical and computing contexts, käivitus and käivitamine frequently appear in discussions of system startup and boot processes.

Usage notes: käiv is most often encountered as part of compound forms rather than as an isolated word. It can occur in descriptive or instructional language related to mechanisms, software, or machinery that undergo a startup sequence. For learners, focusing on the derivatives käivitama, käivitus, and their inflected forms provides the most practical grasp of the term’s usage.

See also: käivitama, käivitus, käivitumine.