Tappava

Tappava is a Finnish adjective meaning deadly, lethal, or fatal. It describes agents, effects, or conditions that can cause death or serious harm, such as pathogens, weapons, or dangerous situations. The term is also used metaphorically to emphasize severity or impact in various contexts, including risk assessments and media reporting.

Etymology: The form derives from the verb tappaa, meaning “to kill,” with the descriptive suffix -va forming an adjective that indicates a property. This is a common Finnish pattern for creating adjectives from verbs.

Usage and inflection: Like other adjectives, tappava agrees with the noun it modifies in number and case (for example, tappava virus in the singular, tappavat virukset in the plural). Common collocations include tappava virus (deadly virus), tappava ase (deadly weapon), and tappava seuraus (deadly consequence). The word is widely understood in Finnish-speaking contexts and is found in everyday language as well as technical and journalistic writing.

Translations and related terms: In English, tappava is typically translated as lethal, deadly, or fatal. A related word, kuolettava, can also be used to convey lethal or fatal implications in similar contexts. The choice between tappava and kuolettava often depends on nuance and collocation.

See also: Finnish adjectives; Finnish vocabulary for health and safety; translations of lethal and deadly terms.