kahjustaa

Kahjustaa is a verb used in Finnic language contexts to mean to injure or damage something or someone. It denotes causing physical harm to a person or animal, or harm to property, health, or rights. The verb is transitive and typically used with a direct object.

In practical use, kahjustaa appears in medical reports describing injuries, in safety or liability contexts to describe actions that may cause harm, in insurance or legal texts to define damages, and in everyday language to recount accidents or negligent acts. The term emphasizes the act of causing harm rather than the result alone.

Forms and related terms vary by language. In Finnish, kahjustaa is a causative verb that follows standard inflection patterns for -aa verbs, adapting to different tenses and moods like other Finnish verbs. In Estonian, cognate forms exist in the related verb kahjustama/kahjustada, which convey a similar sense of causing harm. Nouns such as kahjus or kahju (harm or damage) and related terms describe the result or concept of harm in these languages.

Etymologically, the meaning of kahjustaa is linked to older Finnic words for harm or damage, with cognates spanning related Finnic languages. Semantically, the verb is closely associated with terms for injuring, damaging, or impairing, and it is used to describe intentional or negligent actions that cause harm.