lievittämään

Lievittämään is the non-finite to-infinitive form of the Finnish verb lievittää, meaning to relieve, ease, or mitigate something such as pain, symptoms, or distress. The form is used in clauses where the action of relieving is the main idea in non-finite construction, or to connect with another verb that governs purpose or intention.

In practice, lievittämään appears in sentences that describe aims, purposes, or outcomes. Commonly it occurs after verbs that express help, intention, or necessity, and it often translates as “to relieve” or “to alleviate” in English. Examples include: Lääke on tarkoitettu lievittämään kipua (The medicine is intended to relieve pain). Hoito auttaa lievittämään oireita (The treatment helps to relieve symptoms). Hankkeessa pyritään lievittämään köyhyyden vaikutuksia (The project aims to alleviate the effects of poverty).

The word is built from the verb lievittää with the suffix -m-ään, forming a non-finite infinitive that can function as the object of certain verbs or as a complement in purpose clauses. Related forms include lievittää (dictionary form, to alleviate), lievitys (relief, alleviation), and lievittäjä (reliever). Etymologically, lievittää is a native Finnish verb, developed within the language's system for expressing gradual reduction or easing.

See also: lievitys, lievittäjä, lievittää.