Lukkiutuvat

Lukkiutuvat is a Finnish verb form used to describe a state in which a subject becomes locked or locks itself. Grammatically, lukkiutuvat is the present tense, third-person plural form (they lock themselves / become locked) of the intransitive verb lukkiutua. The construction is commonly employed in descriptions of mechanical, digital, or security-related processes where an item enters a locked state without explicit action by a specific agent in each case.

Lukkiutuvat is typically used with subjects such as laite (device), ovi (door), järjestelmä (system), or prosessi (process). It conveys a reflexive or passive sense of locking, often with modifiers that indicate automatic or conditional locking. Examples include: Ovet lukkiutuvat automaattisesti. Laitteet lukkiutuvat, jos virtalähde katkeaa. In these sentences, the subject undergoes the locking state rather than performing the action on another object.

Etymology and related forms: Lukkiutua is derived from lukitus, meaning locking or lock mechanism, with the -ua suffix indicating a process or state. Related terms include lukittu (locked) and lukitus (locking). The form lukkiutuvat specifically marks multiple subjects that enter the locked state in the present.

In usage, lukkiutuvat appears in technical writing, manuals, and descriptive prose about systems and devices that can enter a locked or secured state. It is typically contrasted with forms like lukkiutuminen (the process of becoming locked) or lukittua (being locked) depending on the syntactic role. See also lukitus, lukko, and lukittuminen for related concepts.