merkitys

Merkitys is a Finnish noun meaning meaning, sense, or significance. In linguistic and semiotic contexts it refers to the semantic content of a linguistic sign—the idea or concept conveyed by a word or expression. In everyday use it also denotes the importance or value attached to something, as in the significance of an event or a symbol.

Etymology traces merkitys to the verb merkitä, “to mark,” with the noun suffix -ys, forming a word that originally signified the act or result of marking. Over time its use broadened from marking acts to the abstract content of signs, i.e., what a word or symbol stands for.

In linguistic usage, merkitys is often contrasted with viite (reference). The merkitys concerns the semantic content or sense of a sign, while the viite concerns what object or concept in the real world the sign points to. This distinction is common in Finnish semantics and philosophy of language, where merkitys is central to discussions of meaning beyond mere physical form.

In broader discourse, merkitys can denote significance within culture, literature, or rhetoric. For example, a symbol’s merkitys may extend beyond its literal representation to convey themes, values, or emotional weight. The term is widely used in dictionaries, linguistic studies, and humanities to describe how signs carry content and importance in communication.