levätä

Levätä is a Finnish verb meaning to rest or to lie down. It is an intransitive verb that expresses a state of repose or a pause from activity. The sense covers both physical rest, such as lying down or recuperating, and more figurative forms like taking a break from work. The term is commonly used for people and animals and can describe temporary or extended periods of inactivity.

Usage and nuance: Levätä can describe someone lying down, relaxing, or taking a moment to recover energy. It is also used in broader contexts to indicate a pause in activity until conditions improve or a goal is reached. In everyday language, the verb often appears with phrases meaning to rest somewhere, for example lying down on a bed or sitting quietly to regain strength. In death-related language, the expression levätä rauhassa (to rest in peace) is widely used in obituaries and epitaphs.

Grammar and derivation: Levätä is a native Finnish verb belonging to the common class of -ä verbs. It is intransitive and does not take a direct object. Like other Finnish verbs, it is conjugated for person and number and follows standard patterns for its verb class. The noun forms related to the concept include lepo (rest) and lepoaika (period of rest).

Etymology and related terms: The word levätä is an established part of the Finnish lexicon with related nouns such as lepo, which denote rest or quiet, and with phrases describing physical or mental repose. The term is widely understood across Finnish dialects and is used in formal and colloquial contexts alike. See also lepo, rest; levätä rauhassa.