Paksenenud

Paksenenud is an Estonian adjective and past participle meaning thicken or thickened. It describes a state in which a substance has increased in viscosity or density, as a result of a process such as heating, cooling, chemical reaction, or the addition of thickening agents. The form is derived from the verb paksenema (to thicken) and is used with various nouns to denote that the item has become thicker.

In grammar, paksenenud is formed with the participial suffix -nud and can function attributively or predicatively. It agrees with the noun it describes in number and case, for example paksenenud vedelik (thickened liquid) or paksenenud supp (thickened soup). The word is common in everyday Estonian as well as in technical and culinary contexts.

Common domains of use include cooking and food processing, where sauces, gravies, jams, and soups may become paksenenud through reduction or the addition of starches. In medicine and nutrition, paksenenud liquids are used in dysphagia diets to improve swallowing safety. In the sciences, the term can describe substances that have thickened due to polymerization, coagulation, evaporation, or solvent changes.

Related terms include paksenemine (the process of thickening) and viskoossus (viscosity). Paksenenud is not a proper noun and is typically employed to convey a temporary or resulting state rather than a fixed object.