Paisunta

Paisunta is a Finnish noun meaning the act or result of swelling or expansion. It is derived from the verb paisua, which means to swell or expand. In Finnish usage the term is neutral and domain-neutral, applied to any situation where a material, body, or substance increases in volume, often due to moisture, heat, chemical reaction, or gas formation.

Geotechnical and construction contexts commonly use paisunta to describe soil swelling, especially in expansive clays and peat soils that absorb water. When moisture content rises, the soil increases in volume and can cause heave under foundations, pavements, and other structures. Understanding paisunta is important for foundation design, drainage planning, and soil stabilization measures.

In materials science, paisunta refers to the swelling behavior of polymers, wood, and composite materials as they absorb moisture or solvents. The phenomenon is described by swelling coefficients and diffusion models and affects dimensional stability, mechanical properties, and service life.

In food technology and baking, the concept of swelling aligns with the dough’s expansion due to fermentation and gas production, though everyday Finnish typically uses kohotus or kohoaminen for dough rising. In biology and agriculture, tissue or cell swelling due to osmosis may be described in some texts using paisunta, depending on the author.