merkitsee

Merkitsee is the third-person singular present tense form of the Finnish verb merkitä, meaning “to mean,” “to signify,” or “to denote.” In everyday language, merkitä is used to express the meaning or significance of words, symbols, or actions. For example, Mistä tämä sana merkitsee? translates to “What does this word mean?” and Tämä symboli merkitsee pysäytyksen can be used to say “This symbol signifies a stop.”

The phrase se merkitsee is common in Finnish to indicate implication, as in Se merkitsee, että meidän on muutettava suunnitelmia (“That means we have to change the plans”). The verb is also used when describing what an object or event conveys or represents.

Etymology and related forms: Merkitä is a native Finnish verb whose root merk- is related to mark or sign. The noun merkki means sign or mark, and merkitys means meaning or significance. These related forms share the same semantic field of indication and representation. Merkitsee, as the third-person singular present, corresponds to hän merkitsee, while infinitive forms include merkitä and imperative forms such as merkitse.

Usage notes: Merkitsee is often preferred when describing semantic content or symbolic meaning, while synonyms like tarkoittaa or viitata can be used in definitional or referential contexts. Tarkoittaa is closer to “means” in a dictionary sense, whereas merkitä emphasizes the act of signaling or indicating.