Küllastuma

Küllastuma is an Estonian verb meaning to become full or saturated. It is used for physical fullness after eating, as well as for chemical or general saturation where a system has absorbed as much as possible. The related noun küllastus denotes saturation or fullness, and the adjective küllastunud describes something that is saturated or full. The verb is intransitive, so it describes a state change of the subject rather than an action directed at an object.

In everyday language, küllastuma refers to the sensation of fullness. For example, after a large meal a person may say they are küllastunud or that they feel küllastuna. In scientific or technical contexts, the term describes a state where a solution or mixture cannot dissolve more solute, i.e., the solution is küllastunud. The noun küllastus is used to talk about the process or condition of reaching saturation, while küllastunud is used as a predicate adjective for a saturated substance or state.

Common contexts include nutrition and chemistry. In nutrition, küllastumine describes the feeling of being sated after eating. In chemistry and materials science, küllastunud lahus means a saturated solution, and küllastunud rasvad refers to saturated fats. Phrases such as “lahus on küllastunud” or “küllastunud lahus” are typical in scientific writing.

Grammatical notes: the present tense forms include ma küllastun, sa küllastud, ta küllastub, me küllastume, te küllastute, nad küllastuvad. The past forms and participles build from the same stems, yielding phrases like küllastunud (saturated) and küllastunud lahus.