kerryttää

Kerryttää is a Finnish verb with the general sense of causing something to grow by accumulation or to burden someone with increasing duties, problems, or quantities. The nuance is often negative, emphasizing gradual rather than sudden increase.

Etymology and status: The exact origin of kerryttää is uncertain, and the form is considered dialectal or archaic in standard Finnish. In everyday language, speakers more commonly use kerätä or kertyä to express similar ideas, depending on the context. Kerryttää may appear in older texts or regional speech, where it conveys the idea of an ongoing, cumulative buildup.

Usage: Kerryttää can describe the process of accumulating debt, work, worries, or other burdens over time. It is typically used with a direct object or complement that indicates what is being accumulated or burdened. For example, phrases in which debt, tasks, or responsibilities are built up can reflect the sense of increasing pressure or load on someone or something. In modern Finnish, more common verbs may replace kerryttää, but the word can still be found in literature or regional speech to convey a similar meaning with a particular rhetorical emphasis.

Related terms: While related concepts exist in standard Finnish, such as kerätä (to gather) and kertyä (to accumulate), kerryttää remains distinct in its nuance of a burdensome, progressive increase.

See also: Kerätä, Kertyä, Kasaantua.