levitä

Levitä is a Finnish verb meaning to spread, extend, or become widespread. It can describe the physical distribution of substances or phenomena, as well as the spread of information, rumors, or influence. The concept also appears in related forms such as levittäytyä (to spread out, to extend over an area) and levittäminen (the act of disseminating).

Intransitive use conveys spreading without a direct object. For example, taudi leviää nopeasti (the disease spreads quickly), haju levisi huoneeseen (the smell spread into the room), and tieto levisi sosiaalisessa mediassa (the information spread on social media). Light, heat, and other sensory experiences can also leviä or levisi, depending on the tense and context.

Transitive use, with a direct object, is typically expressed by levittää. It often implies deliberate action or distribution. Examples include huhut levittivät väärää tietoa (rumors spread false information) and tiedeorganisaatio pyrkii levittämään tutkimustietoa avoimesti (the scientific organization aims to disseminate research findings openly). The transitive form is also used for physically spreading items, such as levittää viljaa tasaisesti lattialle (to spread grain evenly on the floor) or levittää lakanoita sängylle (to spread sheets on the bed).

Levittäytyminen describes the process of expansion across space or groups, such as viruslevittäytyminen tai kaupungin alueiden laajentuminen. In everyday Finnish, levitä is common for natural or involuntary spreading (disease, scent, news), while levittää emphasizes dissemination that involves an action by a subject.

See also: levittäytyminen, levittäjä, levittäminen.