liikettä

Liikettä is the partitive singular form of the Finnish noun liike, which covers several related concepts, including physical movement or motion, activity or action, and, in some senses, a business or political or social movement. The exact sense is determined by context and the surrounding words.

Grammatically, liikettä is used when the reference to movement is indefinite or when the sentence requires the partitive case. It frequently occurs in negative clauses or with verbs that take the partitive. For example: "ei ole liikettä" (there is no movement); "liikettä tarvitaan" (movement is needed).

In addition to literal movement, liike also appears in phrases denoting business or commercial enterprise, and it can denote a political or social movement when used with the appropriate modifiers. The form liikettä, however, is typically confined to contexts that require the partitive case.

Etymology: The noun derives from the Finnish root liike, meaning to move, and has cognates in other Finnic languages. The sense of movement is central to the core meaning of the word, while extended senses cover action, enterprise, and organized collective intent.

See also: liike.