korkeamaan

Korkeamaan is a Finnish non-finite verb form, specifically the active infinitive formed with the suffix -maan/-mään. It is derived from the adjective korkea, meaning high or tall, and is used to express the act of making something higher, raising a level, or increasing degree. As a non-finite form, korkeamaan does not by itself indicate person or number and requires a finite verb in sentences. It can function as the head of a non-finite clause and is commonly used to express purpose or intention, or to link to other verbs in complex predicate structures. In practice, korkeamaan appears in formal or technical language and in literary Finnish, and it is less frequent in everyday speech. It is parallel to other -maan/-mään infinitives such as nostamaan (to lift) or parantamaan (to improve), sharing the same syntactic role but with semantics tied to the root verb.

Formation and usage notes: The form is created by attaching -maan or -mään to a verb stem; the choice between -maan and -mään follows standard Finnish inflection rules for active infinitives. The meaning of korkeamaan depends on the base verb; with korkea-related roots it conveys raising in height, level, or degree. As with other non-finite forms, korkeamaan often appears with modal verbs, auxiliary constructions, or in subordinate clauses to indicate purpose, consequence, or description of a process.

Etymology: It combines korkea with the infinitive suffix to yield a non-finite form. The item is primarily of linguistic interest and reflects Finnish verb-complement syntax.