kohottaa

Kohottaa is a Finnish verb meaning to raise, lift, or elevate something, or to cause something to rise. The sense can be physical (raising a hand or a weight), figurative (raising the price, morale, or volume), or technical (allowing dough to rise during baking). The verb is transitive when a direct object is present, and it can also be used in phrases indicating an increase or enhancement, such as raising taxes or raising standards.

Etymology and usage are based on the stem kokeko? Not exactly. Kohottaa is a causative form derived from the root koho- (to rise) with the causative suffix -ottaa, which creates a verb meaning “to cause to rise.” There is also the intransitive form koho- used for rising on its own (e.g., a price or a person rising), but kohottaa specifically expresses causing something to rise.

Common uses include physical lifting as in kohotan käteni (I raise my hand) and kohottaa ääni (to raise one’s voice), as well as financial or abstract increases such as kohottaa hinta, kohottaa veroa (to raise the price, to raise taxes). In baking, kohottaa taikina refers to allowing dough to rise, with the related noun kohotus describing the rise or fermentation process.

Conjugation notes: kohottaa follows Finnish II-conjugation patterns. Present: minä kohotan, sinä kohotat, hän kohottaa, me kohotamme, te kohotatte, he kohottavat. Imperfect: kohotin, kohotit, kohotti, kohotimme, kohotitte, kohottivat. Participles include kohottava (present active), kohottanut (past active), and kohotettu (passive). The term kohotus is the noun form for the rise or boost.