Sietämää

Sietämää is the partitive form of the Finnish verb sietää, meaning to endure or tolerate. It denotes the degree or amount of something that can be endured and is used to describe what is bearable in terms of pain, workload, or discomfort. Common constructions include sietämää + a noun in the partitive, such as sietämää kipua (pain that can be endured) or sietämää rasitusta (endurable strain). Because it is a grammatical form rather than a standalone lexical item, its precise meaning depends on the context and the accompanying noun.

Grammatical notes: Sietää is a strong verb; sietämää is a partitive form used in predicative or attributive phrases to indicate endurance capacity. The related noun sietäminen expresses the act of enduring, while adjectives such as sietämätön (intolerable) and the noun sietämättömyys (intolerability) express opposite meanings. The term sietokyky refers to a person’s tolerance or endurance capacity and is common in medical, ergonomic, or psychological contexts.

Usage: Sietämää tends to appear in formal or technical language, such as medical or scientific writing, but can also occur in literary Finnish to convey nuances of endurance, limits, or tolerance in a given situation. It often frames what level of discomfort, stress, or demand is considered acceptable or bearable.

See also: Sietäminen, Sietämättömyys, Sietokyky, Kestävyys.