epäonnistuttu

Epäonnistuttu is a nonstandard or dialectal Finnish verb form related to the verb epäonnistua, meaning to fail or be unsuccessful. In modern standard Finnish, the common past participle is epäonnistunut and the related noun is epäonnistuminen; epäonnistuttu is rarely attested and is not typically covered in mainstream grammar descriptions. When it does appear, it is usually in older texts or in regional speech, and it is generally avoided in formal writing.

Etymology and form: The form appears to be built from the prefix epä- (not) combined with the verb stem onnist- from epäonnistua, plus a participial suffix such as -ttu. Its exact grammatical status is debated, and it is usually treated as a nonstandard or historical variant rather than a widely accepted part of Finnish inflection.

Usage and register: Because epäonnistuttu is uncommon, it is most often found in dialect dictionaries, historical documents, or remarks about older language. In contemporary standard Finnish, speakers express the idea with epäonnistunut to describe something that has failed, or with epäonnistuminen to refer to the act or occurrence of failure. If encountered, epäonnistuttu should be regarded as archaic or regional rather than appropriate for general writing.

See also: epäonnistua, epäonnistunut, epäonnistuminen.

References: Kielitoimiston sanakirja; Suomen kielen historia (dialect and historical variants).