kiistaa

Kiistaa is a Finnish verb meaning to deny or to dispute a claim. It is used when someone contests a statement, accusation, or proposition. In everyday language kiistää can denote outright denial or more generally argue against the truth of a claim; in legal or political contexts it is common to report that a party kiistää allegations.

Usage and nuance: Kiistää is transitive and takes a direct object such as väite (claim) or syytös (accusation). The nuance is often stronger than a simple negation; if the intention is merely to reject, kieltää or kieltäminen may be used. Examples: Hän kiistää väitteen. He kiistivät syytökset.

Grammar and morphology: Kiistää belongs to the Finnish -ä verb class and is conjugated as other -ä verbs. In present tense: Hän kiistää väitteen. In past tense: Hän kiisti väitteen; He kiistivät väitteet. The participle form kiistänyt is used in perfect constructions. The noun kiistäminen denotes the act of denying or disputing.

Origin: The noun kiista means "dispute" or "quarrel." The verb kiistää is derived from the noun; etymology is not certain, but a connection to Swedish tvista or other Germanic roots is sometimes proposed.