Kiviseksi

Kiviseksi is a Finnish word-form used to express turning into stone or taking on a stone-like state. It is formed from the noun kivi (stone) with the translative suffix -ksi, which in Finnish marks a change of state or transformation into the stated condition. The form is not a separate lexical item but a grammatical inflection of the word kivi.

In practice, kiviseksi is most commonly seen in predicative constructions with verbs of change, such as muuttaa (to transform) or tehdä (to make). A typical usage is Se muuttui kiviseksi, meaning “it turned into stone.” The sense is primarily that of transformation, and the expression can be understood literally—as in petrification in fantasy, folklore, or geological metaphor—or figuratively, to describe something becoming hard, unyielding, or emotionally cold.

Grammatical notes: the suffix -ksi marks the translative case in Finnish, signaling a change of state. The form kiviseksi is therefore tied to a state-change description of a subject associated with the root kivi.

Kiviseksi may appear in literature and descriptive writing to evoke transformation, petrification, or a dramatic shift in material or emotional condition. It is part of Finnish morphology and illustrates how the language builds results from noun stems using the translative suffix.

See also: translative case, Finnish grammar, kivi, transformation verbs, petrification in literature.