Lähtevää

Lähtevä is a Finnish adjective meaning originating, arising, or springing forth. It describes something that has a source or originates from a particular cause or location. The form is a participial adjective formed with the suffix -vä and is used in contexts where a qualitative relationship to a source is being stated. In practice, there are two common strands of usage: geographical/hydrological and abstract/figurative.

In geography and hydrology, lähtevä often describes watercourses or springs: a lähtevä joki is a river that has its source in springs, and lähtevää vettä refers to water that comes from a spring. In broader writing, lähtevä can describe phenomena, developments, or ideas that originate from a specified source, for example lähtevä ilmiö or lähtevän idean as the originating idea.

Etymology and related terms: the word is linked to the idea of origin or source, derived from Finnish concepts surrounding source and origin. The suffix -vä marks a qualitative descriptor akin to “originating” or “emanating.” The term is mainly found in formal or technical Finnish and is less common in everyday speech.

Note: lähtevä should not be confused with related words such as lähde (source) or lähteä (to originate/depart); usage depends on whether the emphasis is on the source or the act of originating. See also: lähde, lähteä, lähdevesi.