Vahingoitettu

Vahingoitettu is a Finnish adjective formed from the verb vahingoittaa, meaning to injure or damage. It describes something or someone that has suffered harm or damage. As a past passive participle, vahingoitettu can refer to both injured people and damaged property, depending on context. In everyday Finnish, people more commonly use vahingoittunut to describe a person who has been hurt.

Usage and nuance: In legal, insurance, and formal writing, vahingoitettu emphasizes the state of having been harmed or damaged, often in compound nouns such as vahingoitetut esineet (damaged goods) or vahingoitetun osapuolen korvausvaatimus (the injured party’s claim for damages). For people, however, vahingoittunut is the more typical term, while vahingoitettu may appear in more technical or institutional language.

Etymology and notes: The word derives from vahinko (harm, damage) and the verb vahingoittaa (to injure or damage) with the participle-forming suffix -ttu, yielding vahingoitettu, the past passive participle. It shares semantic territory with vahingoittunut but is used in slightly more formal or specialized contexts. The choice between vahingoitettu and vahingoittunut can convey subtle emphasis on the act of harm versus the result.

See also: vahinko, vahingoittaminen, vahingoittunut, vahingonkorvaus, korvausvaatimus. These related terms cover harm, causing harm, injured status, and compensation claims in Finnish legal and everyday language.