Makeutta

Makeutta is a Finnish word that functions as the partitive singular form of the noun makeus, meaning sweetness. It denotes the quality or degree of being sweet and is used both in literal descriptions of taste and in figurative or aesthetic contexts. As a linguistic form, makeutta appears in constructions that assess or qualify sweetness, for example when describing the presence, intensity or balance of sweet flavours in food and beverages.

In culinary and sensory evaluation, makeutta is used alongside terms for other taste qualities—such as suolaisuus (saltiness), happamuus (sourness) and karvaus (bitterness)—to characterise the overall flavour profile of a dish. Chefs, food writers and nutritionists may refer to makeutta when discussing recipes, ingredient balances, sweetness perception and consumer preferences.

Beyond taste, makeutta can appear in metaphorical language in Finnish literature and everyday speech to convey pleasantness, charm or sentimental warmth. Its usage reflects cultural attitudes toward sweetness in food and expression, including regional variations in preferred levels of sweetness.

Etymologically, makeutta derives from the adjective makea (“sweet”) through the nominal form makeus. As a grammatical partitive, it serves functions common to the Finnish partitive case, such as expressing partialness, quantity or indefinite extent when applied to the concept of sweetness.